


Sex Lessons || LH

by 422kms



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 57
Words: 193,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/422kms/pseuds/422kms
Summary: "We can do the lessons, and if one of us falls in love, we'll stop seeing each other and the lessons as well." "Okay, deal."!!This isn't my original work. This was taken off of Wattpad, all credit goes to flighthemmings. I just wanted to save it as an epub and you can't do that on Wattpad. Please don't be upset, I'm only keeping this up for an extremely short amount of time. The only thing I have changed is there is no AN and grammar/spelling.!!
Kudos: 2





	1. No Control

Kate's POV

It was Friday night and my best friends and I were at a party. We didn't go out all the time, but when we did, it was great.

We'd just come here to have some fun so we could forget about the troubles we'd had at school, and wherever else, in the past week.

I was stood by an island in the kitchen of the house we were in, with a red solo cup between my two hands. It was my first drink of the night, and I was trying to make it last as long as possible, by taking small sips now and then. I just stood there alone, staring off into space and occasionally nodding my head to the music that was being played.

All of a sudden, I felt a tug on my arm. I snapped out of my so-called trance and looked up to meet my eyes with a pair of shimmering blue ones. It was one of my best friends, Luke.

As soon as we made eye contact, he gave me a small smile and tilted his head in the direction of the dance floor. I put my cup on the counter, and he dragged me to the dance floor, where he started dancing with me.

I'd met Luke when I was six, and we'd been really close ever since then. I could tell him all of my deep, dark secrets, and he could do the same with me. No one could tear us apart, even if they tried.

Through Luke, I met Calum, Ashton, and Michael. We all became friends fairly quickly, and we were kind of nobodies, but personally, I didn't want to be popular. That seemed too stressful.

We just kind of went to class, and I made sure the boys got their work done. Then, after school, we would all hang out together.

I had feelings for Luke, at one point. That was almost a year ago, and now, my feelings had faded, luckily.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a slow song started to play, and Luke pulled me closer. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck shyly, closing the gap between us.

He placed both of his hands on the small of my back, interlocking his fingers. There was practically no space in between us, so the only thing I could do was stare into his beautiful blue eyes.

He smiled at me, and I spotted a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Why would he be nervous around me? We've known each other for a solid eleven years, so it confused me. Even though I didn't like to admit it to myself, I sort of got nervous around him too.

Luke buried his face in my neck, and I could feel his nose tickle the skin there. This made me shudder. With his steady breaths blowing against my neck, it was almost like the combination of that and him being within such proximity to me almost made me dizzy.

I tried to focus my attention on something else before I fainted, so I looked around the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Calum dancing with a blonde girl. I recognized her from our engineering class at school. He looked straight at me and winked.

I just rolled my eyes at him as Luke's lips had found my jaw. He left small pecks and occasionally sucked on the skin there.

With our hips still moving on the beat of the music, Luke lowered his hands until they were touching my butt. I huffed and used one of my hands to move it back to my waist.

He then removed one of his hands and put it under my chin, tilting my head upward. He stared into my eyes for the longest time that I could've sworn he was trying to get to my soul. I'm not sure at what point we both leaned in, but we were kissing.

This wasn't the first time we'd kissed. In general, we'd kissed three times out of the whole time we'd known each other, and every time felt like the first. After all, he was my first.

His lips moved against mine firmly, but they were incredibly soft. He was being gentle and was getting his point across very well.

He licked and bit my bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. I gladly gave it to him by opening my mouth and letting his tongue slip in. I tangled my hands in his hair, tugging on a few strands now and then, which caused Luke to let out several soft moans.

I didn't know how long we'd been making out. Maybe, two minutes had passed. Five? However long it actually was, it had felt like forever, and to be honest I didn't know how I felt about it. I definitely didn't want to go down that road with him again.

Once we'd pulled away, we were both breathing heavily. I wanted to say something, but nothing came out. The words got stuck inside my throat and it looked like Luke had the same. We stood there for the rest of the song before Luke finally broke the silence between us.

"I--um," he stuttered and brought his hand to the back of his neck, softly scratching. "Listen, Kate I-"

"Hello lovebirds," Michael interrupted. He pushed us apart and started dancing like a maniac since the slow song was over.

I then turned on my heels and headed back to the island I was at toward the beginning of the night, hoping my drink was right where I left it and also leaving Luke with Michael.

Once I found the cup with my name marked on it, I sat on a nearby stool and clenched the cup between my two hands.

"What the hell was that?" A very familiar voice asked. It was one of my other best friends, Ashton, who sat down next to me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.

"You and Luke?" He said sternly but failed at the attempt to act as my parents when he wiggled his eyebrows and giggled. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"It was just a one-time thing. It won't happen again," I said, shrugging. I gulped my alcohol, not even caring about my plan earlier of conserving it.

"Why don't you just give in. I know you like him."

"I do like him," I corrected. "As a friend."

"Bullshit," Calum answered before Ashton could say anything.

"I agree," Michael said, stumbling over, totally out of it. I immediately looked for Luke to see if he was with them, but I didn't see him.

"C'mon Kate," Calum said. He placed one of his hands on my shoulder very dramatically. "We all know you guys like each other,"

"As friends, Cal," I huffed in an annoyed tone.

"Listen to me Katherine, I see right through you"

"Don't can me by my full name, Hood." I cut Calum off and retaliated, giving him a forced giggle to mask my frustration.

Then, I placed my cup back on the counter and turned around expectingly. When no one said anything, but just stared, I spoke up to rid everyone of the seemingly awkward situation.

"I'm going to go look for Luke," I sighed and jumped off my chair.

"Told you," I heard Ashton say as I walked past them.

Sometimes they were so annoying. Sure, it might've been a little dumb of me to kiss Luke, but he kissed me. I didn't want to completely reject him because then I would feel bad.

I gave up on trying to find Luke after about ten minutes of searching. He was probably getting sitting in a random corner or something, and I couldn't help but feel a little worried. When he looked into my eyes, to me, it felt like the entire world stopped spinning and it was just me and him. I could've sworn I saw a hint of something in his eyes for me, but he wasn't completely sober, so what would that have even meant anything?  
.  
.  
.  
An hour later, Michael and Calum were nowhere to be found. They were both probably somewhere making a fool out of themselves like they always do. I swear I could t take them anywhere, especially if they were acting exceptionally embarrassing.

I was positive that Ashton and Luke were still there, but I just didn't know where. I didn't feel like looking, but I didn't feel like sitting in the corner by myself either. I didn't want to seem like a loner, so I got back up to go and look for the two.

I pushed through the crowd, trying to find them. On my alleged manhunt, instead of successfully trudging my way through the sea of people, I bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry," I said immediately, and I looked up to see a handsome boy staring down at me.

"Don't worry, beautiful," he said and gave me a soft smile. I liked his smile. He had gorgeous, straight, white teeth, and very nice-looking lips. "So what's your name?" He asked nosily, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"Oh...um, I'm Kate," I answered, running a hand through my hair. "What about you?" I asked right after, attempting to cover up my slight nervousness. I wasn't really one to be smooth on the words. The only boys I could properly talk to were Calum, Ashton, Michael, and Luke. People made me nervous, and if they were boys, that made it worse.

"I'm Thomas," he said smoothly. He then removed his hands from his pockets and started playing with his fingers.

"Well, nice to meet you, Thomas," I said and bit my lip. I stuck my hand out for him to shake, which he gladly accepted.

"Wanna dance?" He asked, still holding on to my hand and staring into my eyes.

I was about to respond, but a voice cut me off. "No, she's going home." Thomas redirected his gaze from my eyes to a pair behind me, and he dropped my hand.

Luke was standing next to me, and he grabbed my hand just as it was being dropped. "Luke, I was having fun!" I shouted through the loud music, while he was pulling me away.

"Party's over. It's late. We have to go home," he responded, heading towards the door of the house.

"Okay, fine, but at least let me get his number. He's cute, and I may never see him again." I begged.

Luke agreed, so I went back over to where Thomas was standing and we exchanged cellphone numbers. When I finally returned to where Luke had been, which was almost right in front of the exit, he took my hand and pulled me to his car. When I got in, I put on my seatbelt, and Luke did the same as well. Then, I remembered about my other three friends.

"Wait, where are Ash, Mike, and Cal?" I asked.

"Probably standing on tables, dancing like idiots, hiding in corners...I don't know," Luke responded as he started the engine.

"Why are you so ready to leave?" I asked. Most of the time, Luke would want to stay really late, and my mom would have to pick me up and take me home. I didn't like being out super late that much,

"Your mum asked me to take you home since she isn't home tonight so I couldn't. She said she would be in from her flight early tomorrow morning though," he explained. That made sense.

"But you're drunk. How're you supposed to drive?" I questioned. He just laughed.

"Babe, I'm not drunk. I'm completely sober. I stopped drinking a couple of hours ago because I knew I had to take you home." He was always so responsible, and I loved that about him. If the rest of us were being a little reckless, he would keep us in order. That was only if Ashton couldn't though.

"Always so responsible. Liz should be proud," I joked, causing him to laugh once more.

"Yeah, I try my best," he said, playing along. "So that guy back there...you like him?"

"Well, I don't know him enough yet. I got his number, so we'll see," I told him honestly. I didn't want to jump into things too quickly with someone I'd just met. I needed to take things slow and go at my own pace.

"Okay, just be careful. Alright? I really care about you, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I will," I promised him. "Plus, I'm going to make sure nothing happens. I'm still...you know..."

"A virgin?"

"Yeah," I almost whispered.

"And why is that?" He asked teasingly. He looked over at me and smiled before refocusing his attention on the road.

"I just--I guess I'm just scared? I don't know really," I confessed reluctantly. I knew Luke wouldn't laugh at me, but I just couldn't help but feel a little silly. At my age, I was supposed to be mature about this stuff, but the idea freaked me out.

On the other hand, I felt like I was thinking about the idea of sex the wrong way. I could see if it was with a stranger because that might've been scary, but if it was with someone you were totally comfortable with, it shouldn't have been that bad.

I guess I just needed to relax a little and stop thinking about it so hard.

That confession was followed by silence, which was awkward, And it was never awkward between me and Luke.

He snickered and gave me another one of his signature smirks. I just played with my bracelet and chewed on the inside of my lip to try and stop my mind from going into overdrive.

"I can teach you," he said out of the blue. My eyes got wide, and then my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Teach me what exactly?" I questioned, just to confirm what I thought he meant.

For a few seconds, it was quiet. The only thing I could hear was the smooth-sounding engine and the tires creating friction with the road. I realized the radio hadn't been on at all during the ride when I thought about it.

"Sex," he finally answered. "I can teach you sex...Anything you want to know." He added on when I didn't say anything. My head turned towards him and gave him a look of pure shock and confusion. Was this a joke, or was I dreaming? Maybe I was going crazy, but whatever I was feeling, I didn't think he'd be serious.


	2. Spooning

"Sex," he finally answered. "I can teach you sex...Anything you want to know." He added on when I didn't say anything. My head turned towards him and gave him a look of pure shock and confusion. Was this a joke, or was I dreaming? Maybe I was going crazy, but whatever I was feeling, I didn't think he'd be serious.

.  
.  
.  
Kate's POV

"Y-you want to teach me how to have sex?" I almost whispered in response as Luke's car came to a stop.

"Yeah, if you want to learn," he said. "I mean... I think it's better to lose your virginity to someone you trust, rather than some random guy." He stated. Then, he looked at me and gave me a small smile.

He did have a valid point, but I still didn't know if I wanted to go through with the idea. Sex was scary to me, but I thought Luke would make it better because I'm way more comfortable around him than I've ever been around anyone.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked, I looked up to see him staring back at me.

"Are you sure?" he retaliated. He rose his eyebrows, awaiting my response.

I was half and half about it honestly. I wanted to lose my virginity, but I would feel better if I was dating the person I lost it to. I didn't think that would be happening anytime soon though, so I was kind of torn.

"I don't really know yet. It sounds alright, but I don't want it to be awkward between us afterward, you know?" I confessed and he nodded to show understanding.

"Just let me know," Luke said. "Do you want me to stay? You'll be home alone all night, and I don't really wanna go home," he asked before smoothly licking his lips. I think that was his way of trying to get me to let him in, and nevertheless, it worked.

"Sure, come on," I said, motioning my hand towards my house. I stepped out of the passenger seat and headed up my driveway, to the stairs that led to my front porch.

Luke locked his car and walked right behind me. After a bit of struggling to get my key in the lock, I turned it over and pushed my front door open it open. It looked the same as when I left. Homey.

My house wasn't that big, but I was okay with it. I lived here with my parents, so we didn't really need anything too fancy.

My parents are almost always away because of their jobs. It's like it's so important to spend more time with your employees than with your own daughter. I was told my mum would be home tomorrow morning, so I was happy she'd be back.

"Will it be awkward if slept in the same bed? You know, with the possibility that you might be teaching me sex?" I asked. It didn't bother me much that we were going to be sharing a bed. We did it quite often, so it wasn't really a big deal.

Luke nodded and we walked upstairs. He ventured off to my room, while I went to the bathroom to clean my face and put my hair in a ponytail.

When I was finally done doing the first part of my night routine, which requires me to be in the bathroom, I walked back to my bedroom.

I pulled the door open and walked in on Luke taking off his shirt. I also proceeded to watch him strip down until he was only wearing his boxers.

"Like what you see?" Luke smirked as he noticed me staring.

"Um, I guess it's okay," I teased. He flipped me off, and I stuck my tongue out at him, which caused him to laugh. I turned around to take my dress off, but I was having a little trouble with the zipper. "Luke, will you help me? I think the zipper is stuck."


	3. Lesson One

Kate's POV

"Katherine Alisyn Bennett," Luke began, pointing his finger at me. "Easy, okay? This is just the first lesson."

It had been a couple of weeks since Luke, and I made the deal about the lessons, and today was finally the day we were going to start.

"Lucas Robert Hemmings, I might be a rookie, but I already know that I don't like to be teased," I said in the same tone he used at me.

Luke laughed, but I knew he hated it when I called him by his full name. I knew Lucas wasn't his name though, but it was funny when I called him that because he always got really annoyed with me.

"So, where do you want to practice?" Luke asked as he stepped closer to me.

"I don't know, you tell me," I said, trying to be as sexy as possible. I was failing. I was just going to stick with being myself.

"Okay, kiss me," he simply said. I bit my lip, still nervous. I stepped towards him and pressed my lips on his gently. He kissed me back and soon parted his lips, allowing me to slip my tongue in. After a while, he pulled away.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked teasingly.

"I guess, what did I do wrong?" I started timidly. Luke never made me nervous, but it was just the thought of doing this with him that made me nervous. It made me feel inferior.

"Your kissing is pretty good actually, but I can help you improve it," he admitted, smirking.

Our eyes locked, and he stared at me for a while. His hands finally found my hips, and he pushed me backward slowly until my back was against the wall.

"Let me show you," he whispered in my ear, and his hands traveled down to my butt.

I gasped a little, as his lips came closer, brushing against mine. He started kissing me gently, but he got more intense with every second that passed.

How was he was so good at this?

Luke slid his tongue across my bottom lip, asking for access. He then gave a light squeeze to my bottom, which caused me to let out a small moan and allowed him to slip his tongue inside of my mouth. Clever.

"Jump," he said against my lips and grabbed my butt in his hands. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he pressed me harder against the wall.

We made out for so long. It felt like we couldn't stop, even if we tried. I was basically addicted, to say the least. His kisses went to my neck, and I leaned my head to the side, giving him more access. I let out a soft moan, and my hands rested against his chest.

Luke walked me to my desk, placing me down on it.

"Luke," I sighed, running my hands through his messy hair. His lips were still working on my neck, leaving marks here and there.

"Take my shirt off," he said and then returned to kissing me on the lips again.

My hands immediately went for the hem of his black shirt, pulling it up a little. We both broke away so I could pull the shirt over his head.

I wanted to get back to kissing, but Luke pushed me backward so I was laying on my desk.

"Fuck," I heard him say as one of his hands went under my shirt. Our lips touched again and we went back into a heated kiss.

We were cut off by a phone ringing. Luke didn't stop kissing me, but I broke away. "It's yours."

"I know," he said and took my shirt off quickly. He started to kiss me again, ignoring everything around us.

After five more minutes, his phone rang again. "You have to take it," I told him, just as he started to kiss my neck.

"I don't want to," he whined, poking his bottom lip out and trying to give me puppy eyes.

"Answer it, Luke," I said sternly. Really, I just wanted to get back to my lesson, and the sooner he answered whoever it was calling him, the sooner we could start up again.

He rolled his eyes at me and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He kept standing between my legs, and that made me a little needy, to say the least.

"Hi, Cal," I heard him say in an annoyed tone.

"No, I'm with Kate," he said casually, probably trying to make what we were doing a lot less obvious.

"Yeah, at her house," he answered.

"No, we weren't kissing each other. Why would you think that?" he raised his voice, getting defensive.

"Okay, bye," he said swiftly and ended the call.

Luke threw his phone on my bed and turned back to me, smirking.

"What did he say to you?" I asked, knowing it was Calum. I sat up from my current laying position, to face him.

"Band practice in 30 minutes."

Before I knew it, Luke pressed his lips against mine again. His right hand was set on my waist, and his left was on my knee. After a few minutes of more making out, he pulled away.

"So, what's the difference between your kiss and my kiss?" Luke asked.

"A lot," I smiled, and Luke picked up one of my legs, wrapping it around his waist.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled, and his hands moved over to my chest, making me moan. The room became increasingly hot, and I felt a little dampness between my legs. I got scared because I'd never felt anything like that before.

"I think we should stop now" I breathed, stopping Luke from what he was doing.  
.  
.  
.  
30 minutes later, I was sat watching the boys sing. I loved their voices so much, but I liked Luke's the most.

They started to sing a song called Beside You. I'd never actually heard it before, but Luke had told me that it was one of his favorites.

Just as they came upon the chorus, I got a message.

Thomas  
Hey, Kate. Hang out sometime? xx

I looked up to see Luke singing his solo, his eyes on me. Suddenly, I got a bit nervous. His stares made me shiver and caused goosebumps to rise on my flesh.

I looked away, and my eyes locked with Michael's. He winked and wiggled his eyebrows, well aware of the exchange Luke and I had just made.

I just did the same thing as always. I rolled my eyes.

Kate

Sure! When do u wanna meet up? xx

Thomas and I hand been hanging out for a few weeks now. He'd never tried to make a move on me, but as the days went by, I was getting more and more comfortable around him.

Seconds later, I had another incoming message. Again, I felt Luke staring at me as he sang.

Thomas

Is right now okay? At yours?

It took me a long time to respond, but I wanted to make sure that whatever I chose, it would be the right decision. After all, I was hanging out with the guys right now, but maybe if I was gone, they could concentrate better. Especially Luke.

Kate  
Okay, I'll send you my address! x

We would always hang out at his flat, but he told me earlier this week that he was in the process of rearranging his furniture, soot was a bit messy.

After sending my address, I grabbed my bag, putting my phone and water bottle in it, and put on my jacket.

"Wait, where are you going?" I heard Luke ask behind me, as he immediately stopped playing.

"Home," I replied.

"Why?" Luke asked. I saw the others throwing their heads back and rolling their eyes at Luke.

"I invited Thomas," I said quickly. "Bye guys!" I waved and walked out.

I didn't have a car, but Luke's house wasn't too far from mine, only about a 10-minute walk. It was still fairly light outside too, so it was fine.  
.  
.  
.  
Luke's POV

"But you don't even know him!" I shouted after her, but she was already gone. I knew they'd been hanging out a bunch over the past few weeks, but I still didn't get a good vibe from him. He was a little too mysterious for me.

She met him at a party, so she didn't know what he could try on her. It was my job to protect her, and if I didn't go after her, it would eat me alive.

"Dude, you need to get over Kate," Ashton whined from behind his drums.

"I'm already over her," I said blankly, trying to convince them that what I just said was true, but I was mostly trying to convince myself.

"You're not. Absolutely not!" Michael exclaimed, inviting himself to the conversation.

"Luke, you need to understand that she doesn't like you that way," Ashton told me, sighing dramatically.

"When we kissed a few weeks ago at that party, I felt like she liked me too," I confessed.

This was all bullshit. I shouldn't have made this dumb sex lessons agreement in the first place, especially not when I already knew I had feelings for her. Wow, I'm an idiot.

"Then just tell her, dumbass!" Calum shouted. I wish I was like him, he has all of the girls wrapped around his finger. Even Kate.

"I can't tell her!" I shouted back.

It looked like Michael was about to say something but he just couldn't phrase his words right. "Why the hell not?" He finally asked.

"Because..." I started, but I was cut off by my own mind, reminding me about our deal.

"Just tell her. Write a song. Take her out. Whatever." Ashton played with his drumsticks while trying to give me seemingly acceptable advice.

Even if everything else was bad in the world, Kate was going to let me have her virginity, and to be honest, I was incredibly honored.  
.  
.  
.  
After band practice, I couldn't help but drove myself to Kate's house. I mean, who knows what that guy could do to her?

I had a key, which her mom gave me, so I could get in easily if something was going on. I walked through the small hallway and heard something coming out of the living room, so I went that way.

I walked in on that Thomas guy and Kate sitting on the couch. He had his arm wrapped around her. I huffed to myself and tried to ignore it as best as I could.

They were just watching a movie, but I had to interrupt it. This whole situation didn't feel right.

"Luke? What're you doing here?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows, in wait for my response.

"I-I came to check on you," I said and locked eyes with Thomas. I hated him.

He looked like some guy who could rape girls. I didn't know for sure that he was a rapist, but I didn't like him.

"You mean on me?" He questioned, smirking.

I just ignored his question and bit my lip, as I saw his hand grab hers.

"No. I said I came to check on her, and that's what I meant. She left my house, and I just wanted to make sure she got home safely because I never got the usual text. I was just worried, that's all, so I came to check on her," I stated. Thomas was probably trying to get to my head and psych me out, but I wasn't about it to let that happen.

"I'm all good, Luke! You can go now, bye!" Kate said, sending me a smile, and her eyes went back to the movie.


	4. Lies

Kate's POV

I woke up to the sun peeping through my curtains, and I knew it was time for me to get up and get ready for school. I didn't really hate school as most people did. I actually had good grades, and with the boys, it was always fun. Even with all of that said, I'd still rather stay at home and do absolutely nothing.

Calum would pick me up and drive the both of us to school. He was so energetic in the morning, so it was a great way to start my morning.

"Yo, Kate!" I heard Calum shout as he rolled down his car window. I locked the door to my house and walked over to where his car was.

"Good morning, Cal," I said opening the car door and sitting down in the seat next to him. I placed my bag in between my feet so it would be secure for the ride.

"How has band practice been?" I asked as Calum started the engine.

"It's okay, Luke's always distracted," he said, driving off.

"By what?" I asked, already having a slight clue as to what it could be.

"You," he confessed. He looked over to me and smirked, before focusing his attention back on the road.

Me? Why me? We hadn't had another lesson in over a week.

"I'm gonna ask you a question, be honest," Calum said seriously.

"Only if I can ask you one too," I bargained. I had a feeling that he was going to ask me a certain question, so it was only fair if I got to ask him one that made him equally uncomfortable.

"Deal, so uh...What's going on between you and Luke?" he questioned timidly.

"Nothing," I lied.

"When I told you, to be honest, I meant: don't fucking lie," he said giggling.

"We kissed, okay? He came over about a week ago, and we kissed," I said. "It was an accident."

"Sure it was," I heard Calum laugh softly, still looking at the road.

"And may I ask, Katherine, how long you guys made out?" He asked and looked over at me wiggling his eyebrows, with the biggest grin plastered across his face.

"Calum..." I whined, shooting him a glare.

"C'mon answer, or I'm not going to answer your question," he said seriously.

What would happen if he told Luke that I told him about our kiss? I didn't think he'd mind me telling him about our kiss, but I'm not telling him about the lessons.

"Twenty minutes? More maybe.." I said, lowering my head.

"What?!" Calum shouted, turned his head so he was facing me, eyes big.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Please don't tell Luke," I begged.

"It was so easy to tell because you had a lot of love bites on your neck," Calum said and grinned. "Now ask me, babe," he said, in a playful, seductive voice.

"What happened with that girl you took home on the night of the party? Did you...just send her back home?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, of course," he said staring straight forward, a frown etched into his face.

"Cal! I told you to stop with that!" I scolded him.

"Sorry, I don't want a girlfriend, and I need sex. I don't have a choice," he said, voice full of guilt.

"Calum Hood, That's not how you treat girls," I said in a more serious tone.

Calum just giggled and parked the car, as soon as we reached school.

After I got out of the car and entered the building, I went straight to my locker, grabbing the things I needed for my first two classes. Just as I was about to take my History book, I saw that there was a piece of paper on top of it.

You. Me. Bed. At yours. Luke xx

I assumed that the note was meant for after school, and I was more nervous than I was excited. It's been too long.

.

.

.  
The day had gone by faster than I thought it would go. On Monday, I usually take the bus home, but today, Luke offered to give me a lift.

"You ready?" Luke asked as he drove away. "You're going to see me naked," he said playfully. I glared at him and he wiggled his eyebrows, making me break my annoyed façade.

"I'm nervous," I said, but it came out as a whisper.

"Don't be nervous, Kate. It's just me," Luke said and laid one of his hands on my knee, squeezing it softly. I smiled.

"It's been a week. I think I'm allowed to be nervous," I countered. He nodded, but the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

Ten minutes later, we both walked into my room, putting down our bags. I turned my back to Luke, not wanting to face him, but he grabbed my hand and turned me back around.

His lips were so close. I must've been positive, and he negative, because they were attracting me. I couldn't stop myself.

As Luke stared into my eyes, he brought my hand down to his belt, making me gasp.

"Undo it," was all he said, and he let me take care of the rest.

My hands started to shake. Why was I nervous? It was Luke. It was just Luke.

I threw his belt on the floor and looked back up to find out what the next step was.

"Take them off," he said as if it was nothing. I did what I was told, and soon, he was only dressed in his boxers and a shirt.

"Take those off too," he said, referring to his boxers. I looked towards them with big eyes and my throat got dry.

"A-are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm positive. Pull them down, Kate," he instructed gently, reassuring me.

I grabbed the waistband of his boxers between my fingers, and I pulled them down. I didn't know how to react when I saw him, and I also didn't know what to think about it.

Luke sat down on the edge of my bed and spread his legs. "Get on your knees."

I took a deep breath and took my place between his legs.

"Okay, now you're just going to suck, and I'll tell you when you can be done," Luke said, and I looked down at him again.

"How am I supposed to do this?" I asked, wide eyes still making an appearance on my face.

"Just try," he said softly.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail and placed my hands on top of his thighs. I looked down again to find that he was already hard, even though I hadn't even touched him yet. When I looked back up at him, he nodded.

I dipped my head down and wrapped my lips around him. I bobbed my head up and down, while Luke let out a few loud moans. After a minute, he made me stop.

"That was pretty good, but you forgot a few things," he said and grabbed my right hand, wrapping it around his length.

"Also, try sucking on the tip a couple of times, okay?" Luke said, and I nodded. "If you can make me come, you'll get something in return." He winked, and I couldn't help but smile.

I licked the tip, before letting him into my mouth. I slowly bobbed my head up and down, trying not to gag because I couldn't fit all of him into my mouth.

"Fuck, Kate," he groaned as his hand reached for the back of my head, pulling my hair.

I bobbed my head faster, and he sighed in relief. I was trying my best to fit as much of him in my mouth as I could.

As I sucked on the tip again, he moaned and grabbed the sheets in his fists. I could feel Luke was getting close because he started to moan really loud, and I felt him twitch in my mouth.

"I'm close, Kate," he said in between moans, and I tried to suck harder and faster for the last few seconds.

Luke came with a loud moan, and my mouth was covered in a sticky white substance.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I heard him say, as he saw what he had done.

"It's fine," I giggled and wiped it away with my shirt, it was an old one so I didn't care that it'd gotten dirty.

"Well, princess, that wasn't bad," Luke said and threw me on my bed. "As much as I like your clothes, I want them off," he said, scanning my body.

Luke climbed on top of me, pulling my shirt over my head and taking my pants off.

"That's more like it," he said and licked his lips, before smashing them to mine.

I immediately grabbed the hem of his shirt, taking it off with ease.

"You're so wet," Luke said against my lips.

I moaned his name louder than I expected, as he trailed kisses down my entire body, teasingly biting on some of the skin along the way. He kissed down until he got to the inside of my thighs.

His fingers found my panties, and he pulled them down with ease. He then spread my legs wider, enjoying the view he had. After smirking at me, his head disappeared between my legs.


	5. First

4 Weeks Later

After school, I waited for Luke to meet me outside the front of the school so we could go to his. We hadn't done much within the past month. We had a few lessons here and there, but I knew that big day was coming, I just didn't know when.

I was still hanging out with Thomas, almost every day even. We were starting to get a bit more serious and some of the lessons Luke had been giving me were helping my confidence.

I was anticipating the moment I would finally lose my virginity, but I was more nervous than ever. I didn't know what it was going to be like, but I just hoped it would be everything that I ever imagined and more. He finally came out after about five or so minutes of me waiting for him.

"Come with me." Luke held out his hand for me to grab, and I took it.

Once we got to where his car was parked, I started to get a ton more nervous butterflies. He opened my door for me to get in, then went around to get in himself. We buckled our seat belts, and Luke put his key into the ignition.

"Are you excited?" He asked grinning, and I slowly nodded. Luke started his car up, and we pulled out of the parking lot.

I sighed. "Maybe."

Would this be the day that I'd finally lose my virginity? Was he even planning on doing that today? I had so many questions that needed answers, but quite frankly, I didn't have one for either of them. We had only had a few steamy make-outs during this past month, so it was hard to tell, but I had a feeling that this was it.

I stared at him a few times, and each time I took a glance at him, I would see a faint smirk etched onto his face. I just tapped my fingers on my thighs and waited until we got to his house.  
.  
.  
.  
Once we'd reached our destination, Luke turned off his car and got out.

"My parents aren't home today," he said, opening my car door and helping me get out.

"So?" I questioned.

"That means they can't interrupt us," he winked, and I felt myself grow nervous again. He didn't notice though, as he was leading me to his front door so we could get into his house.

As soon as I stepped inside, Luke turned on his heels and quickly attached our lips. I gasped out of shock and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth. We backed up until my back was against the wall.

Luke reached over to close the front door, and his lips were removed from mine. He caught his breath briefly before moving on to my neck, placing open-mouthed kisses across the flushed skin and leaving hickeys all over my collarbone.

I let out a soft moan. "Luke..."

"Yeah?" He gasped.

"What's the lesson today?" I asked, breathing hard.

He stopped kissing my neck, but he didn't meet my eyes. Instead, his hand grabbed mine, and he placed it on the hem of his shirt.

"Whatever you want, baby girl," he whispered in my ear. Both of my hands went under his shirt, and I felt all across his torso. His breath hitched.

I took off his shirt and started kissing his neck as he taught me in one of our lessons. Soon, a dark hickey was left. He grabbed my hips and lifted me off of the floor so I could wrap my legs around his waist.

Every time he touched me or kissed me, it felt like my head was in the clouds.

* * *

Once we had made our way upstairs, we went into his room and continued making out. He sat down on his bed, with me in his lap. I ground my hips against him to create some friction, something he also showed me how to do.

He let out a groan, so I did it again, trying to get the same reaction.

"K-Kate, oh fuck," he moaned and flipped it over.

He pinned my arms down next to my head and neared his face to mine. I stared into his eyes and it was like time stopped.

Before I knew it, Luke and I were making out on his bed again. One of my hands ran down his chest and to his lower region.

I wanted to try something he'd mentioned he personally like, so I palmed him through his jeans, eliciting another throaty moan from him, "Fuck."

The sound of moans filled the room, and Luke grabbed my legs and wrapped them around his waist. I continued to move my hips against his, creating so much friction and causing wetness to build up between my legs.

"Luke," I moaned as he started to leave more lovebites on my neck and collarbone.

By now, I could feel a prominent bulge through his jeans, and it grew bigger by the second. He moaned my name, and his hands went to the bottom of my shirt, taking it off. Minutes later, I was only in my bra and panties.

Luke's hand disappeared inside his pocket, and he took out a condom.

"Wait," I said nervously, stopping all his movements.

He looked at me. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes looked concerned and he pushed some loose hair behind my ear.

"So, we are going to have sex today?" I asked, looking at the condom he was holding.

"Yeah," he answered, breathlessly. "It's only me, don't worry. I'm gonna make this very special for you, princess. You'll be fine. I promise," he added reassuringly.

He looked into my eyes and placed a gentle kiss right in the middle of my forehead. When he came back up, I guess he could see on my face that I was still worried.

"Are you sure, babe?" he asked. He then searched my face for any sign of discontent.

"I am. I'm ready, Luke," I said and sighed deeply. "It's just...I just...does it hurt?" I questioned, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah, it will a little, but not as much if you wet, so we'll have to do some foreplay first. You just need to tell me if you want to stop, okay?" he instructed.

I pressed my lips on his gently and mumbled an 'I will'.

Luke guided his tongue into my mouth, and our tongues swirled together, moving in perfect sync. Since he was still on top, I brought my hands up to the belt holding up his jeans, and I undid it. I slid his jeans down, and he kicked them off, once they were at his ankles.

His bulge was even bigger now that he didn't have his jeans on anymore. He kissed me as he unclasped the hook keeping my bra together, and he threw it somewhere across the room.

My hands ran through his hair, as his fingers touched the waistline of my underwear. He kissed down from my chest until his mouth got to where his fingers were.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled and pulled my underwear down.

He used his hands to press my hips to the bed so I wouldn't be able to move, and he adjusted himself so that he was directly between my legs.

Without warning, one of his fingers entered me. My breathing started getting ragged as he pumped in and out, and soon he added another finger.

"Luke," I called out, my voice wavering slightly. Before I knew it, his lips were attached to my core, and he was sucking gently. I whined at the feeling of pleasure. I'd felt something like this before, but this was taking it to a whole new level. I heard a few grunts come from Luke, and I didn't know he could get pleasure from this as well.

His mouth teased a new bundle of nerves that he'd never touched before, and I cried out. I could feel a knot building up in my stomach, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better with Luke using his fingers and mouth, he pulled away altogether.

I took a deep breath as he pulled down his boxers, anxiousness surging throughout my entire body.

I watched Luke as he put on the condom. He gave me a small smile, and I suddenly became really happy because he was going to take my virginity, not just some random guy. He's been my best friend for years, and I trusted him.

"Are you ready?" He asked. I nodded and attempted to smile. He smiled back before ducking down and reattaching our lips. In a desperate attempt to be closer to him, I pulled his face closer to mine. "Slow, baby. We need to go slow," he mumbled against my lips.

He lined himself up, and his tip touched my entrance. A shiver raked down my spine, and I wasn't sure what to expect. As he slowly pushed into me, he deepened our kiss, trying to steer my mind away from the pain.

I felt a small twinge deep in my core, and slight pain rushed through my body. I whimpered, but it was muted because of our kissing.

I had just lost my virginity to Luke, my best friend.

"Luke," I quietly moaned, as he pushed further into me. He stopped when he was buried deep inside, letting me get used to the feeling of him filling me up. The pain was still there, and it made my eyebrows knit together. I fluttered my eyes close and focused on taking deep breaths.

A tear escaped from one of my eyes, and Luke wiped it away with his thumb. He left a light kiss there and placed a stray piece of my hair behind my ear.

"You're doing so well, baby," he said, reassuring me. Still unmoving, he buried his head into the crook of my neck. I could feel his hot, and quick breathing against my shoulder. After thirty more seconds, he spoke. "Can I move now?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," I said gasping, as I felt him leave the inside of me. All of a sudden, I felt bare, and I craved the feeling of him being inside of me again.

It was still kind of painful, but he started to kiss me, and that made me more focused on him than on myself.

Luke pushed in deeper the second time, and his moans replaced the silence in the room. The pain started to fade, but it was still there.

"Are you okay, Kate?" he asked, coming up from the kiss.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. I kissed him shortly and pulled him down a little closer, to show him that I was fine to keep going.

"You're so beautiful, babe," he said pulling out and pushing back in.

His lips sucked on a spot on my neck, making my nails run down his back. I swirled my hips as he pushed in and out of me, to create as much friction as possible, something he told me I should try. A wave of pleasure washed over me, and Luke grunted.

"Luke, oh my god," I moaned, trying to ignore the now subtle pain.

Seconds later, he picked up his pace and started moving a bit faster. He thrust deeper each time, creating a rhythm and pace that I never wanted to stop, and each push inside made me let out loud moans.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he sucked down my neck, leaving a burning sensation in my core. I needed his touch.

"Mhmm," was all I said to let him know that I was fine.

"Are you close?" He asked as he hit somewhere inside me that he hadn't yet. I pretty much screamed, and he hit it again, knowing he found a special spot.

"Yes, Luke," I moaned again as he was trying to push in deeper.

He pulled out all the way, and I knew the next push was likely to be painful. He pushed in hard, fast, and deep, then pulled out until his tip was at my entrance again. He did that repeatedly.

This went on for a few more minutes. Our calling out each other's names created a beautiful melody that I wanted to play over and over again. My legs started to shake, and pressure started to build up deep in my core.

"L-Luke, I...I don't know if I'll last any longer," I moaned, knowing my release was close.

"Come on, Kate. It's okay, baby," he said encouraging me. I could feel myself tightening around him, and I felt a twitch inside. That's when I knew Luke was pretty close too. "Fuck," he dragged out.

I came yelling his name, and soon after, he came inside of me, filling the condom he wore. He rode out both of our highs, pulling out and collapsing next to me when he was done. He was breathing heavily, and I was literally seeing stars.

He laid still for a second, the only movement in the room was the rise and falling of our chests. Luke got up quickly and took the condom off of himself, tying it in a knot, folding it neatly, and putting it back in the wrapper before throwing it in the small trash can he had by the door in his room. He found his boxers somewhere on the floor, and he put those back on.

Once he returned to the bed, I pulled the duvet over us and he grabbed my hips, pulling me closer to him and turning me on my side. He stared into my eyes, searching for any discomfort or regret.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked.

"Y-yes," I said. "It was fun," I added with a light smile.

"Really?" He asked with a surprised expression.

I leaned in and kissed him, and he kissed back. It was meant as a yes.

"Definitely," I said finally breaking the kiss. He smiled and came back in, ready for another make-out session.


	6. Lovebites

Thirty minutes later, Luke and I were laying on his bed in silence, staring off into space. We were tired, sweaty, and breathless.

"I seriously never expected to have sex with my best friend," Luke laughed and turned his head to look at me.

"Same," I sighed and smiled at him. His arms were wrapped around my waist, and his eyes were on my lips for some reason.

Suddenly, we heard knocks on the door. Thank god it was locked.

"Luke?" It was Calum. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, give me a second," Luke shouted and jumped off the bed.

Get up he mouthed to me as he grabbed a new shirt and put his pants back on. I didn't want to move. My entire lower region was sore, and I could barely get up.

"Luke, I can't move," I whispered, just as he was putting his shirt back on. His eyebrows furrowed and quickly made his way over to me.

He pushed some of my hair off of my forehead before saying, "Do you want me to help you?" I nodded, and he placed a brief kiss on my lips. He left my side of the bed and went to retrieve my clothes.

I could hear Calum whistling the Jeopardy theme song outside of our door because we were taking so long to open it, but Luke was only focused on me and what I needed.

"Sit up," he directed, handing me my bra. I used my hands to push myself up, and I winced at the pain. I tried to quickly put on my undergarments, filled with my regular clothes, which took about three minutes.

Luke was standing next to the bed when I attempted to get up. My knees buckled as soon as I stood, but he was there to catch me and hold me up so I wouldn't fall.

The last thing I needed to put on was my pants, so I gently slipped them up to my legs. When I was finished, I stood up straight.

"You done?" Luke whispered as I pulled my hair in a ponytail. I nodded, and Luke padded across his bedroom floor to unlock the door. I sat back down on his bed, my legs starting to give out again.

In walked Calum, but he didn't notice me right away.

"So, I've been thinking about what you told us about Kate, and-" he stopped, once he realized I was in the room too. "Oh. Hi, Kate," he said slowly.

I smiled. "Hey, Cal. What're you doing here?" I asked. He had no idea that Luke and I just had sex.

"I could ask you the same," he replied, smirking. I playfully rolled my eyes at him, and I got up to leave the room. I was careful to try and cover up the pain it caused me to walk so Calum wouldn't get suspicious.

"He's my best friend too," I said, walking towards Luke's bedroom door and giving him and Calum a smile before exiting.

"Bye, Kate," I heard Calum shout as I practically limped down the stairs.

I didn't notice Luke followed me to the door, but I turned around when he jumped off the last few stairs, creating a thump when he landed.

"Kate, wait a minute," he called. He grabbed my wrist, to keep me from going any further.

"Yeah?" I asked.

He stepped closer. "Are you okay? I mean...I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked, eyebrows knitting together, waiting for my response.

"No, everything is fine," I said and kissed his cheek gingerly. I knew I would be sore for a bit, but I was okay for now.

"Do you care if I kiss you right now?" He asked, making me stiffen a little.

"Um, no," I said, but it came out as more of a question.

Within the next second, Luke leaned in, and I did the same. Our lips met for a brief moment before we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. We quickly pulled away as Calum made it off of the staircase.

"Is something going on here, or..?" Calum asked and raised his eyebrows.

I bit my lip, and my cheeks flushed.

"I knew there-" he started.

"Cal, please shut up," Luke cut him off. He turned to me and winked.

I giggled and said goodbye to the both of them, leaving Luke's house.   
.  
.  
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Luke's POV

As soon as Kate was out of sight, I closed the door and went into the living room. I didn't want to go back into my bedroom, after what Kate and I just did. It was like sacred grounds now.

"What the hell was that, dude?" Calum asked curiously.

"What?" I responded as I made my way to the kitchen.

Calum sighed, "You know what I mean. Were you two kissing before I interrupted you?"

"No, Cal," I huffed, rolling my eyes.

"Luke, be fucking honest. I'm your best friend," he said in a stern tone.

"Okay! I'll tell you, but you can't get mad," I said, surrendering.

Calum furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would I be mad?"

I handed him a bottle of water and walked back to the living room, taking a seat on the couch.

"Because we didn't just kiss," I confessed.

"You didn't just kiss?" Calum repeated, not understanding.

"We- well, I...took her virginity," I said, sighing.

Calum's jaw dropped, and his eyes went big. "Are you kidding?" he asked. I shook my head slowly and then gulped my water. "When? How?"

"After school. She wanted to lose it to me, and I was okay with it. I mean, I couldn't let some random take it from her," I answered.

I was honored that Kate let me be the one to have her innocence. I loved the way I felt when I was with her, and I didn't know if anything would come out of this, but I was starting to really hope we could be something more.

I wanted to be more than her best friend that gave her lessons, but that was going against the deal.

"I seriously cannot believe this," Calum said with a smile.

We stayed silent for seconds, and I knew what he was thinking about. He opened his mouth to speak, and I knew what he was about to ask me, so I spoke up first.

"Yes, she was right," I said.

"That's what I wanted to hear, mate," Calum said and patted my shoulder.  
.  
.  
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Kate's POV

I slammed the door closed as I stepped inside my house. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat on my couch thinking about Luke.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I got a message.

Thomas

Are you free today? x

I didn't wanna hang out. I missed my parents. I missed Luke, and I was just so tired.

Kate  
Sorry, not today. Tomorrow, maybe? xx

Thomas  
Sure, love. I'll text you later. :)

I liked Thomas. I seriously liked him, and maybe I felt more. I didn't know for sure. We needed to hang out soon though.

I was about the stand-up and go to my room, but the front door opened.

Calum? Luke?

"Mom?" I asked as she walked inside the living room.

"Hi, sweetie," she smiled and opened her arms for a hug, but I just stared at her. I asked myself if she took this seriously. Did she really want a hug after what she'd done to me this week?

"What's wrong, baby?" She asked, and her eyes looked sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. "Do you want to know what's wrong? Leaving your daughter alone for a week, sending just a few texts is wrong. I made food for the three of us every night, but you never came home. You told me you wouldn't accept any more business trip offers this month. What happened to that promise?" I shouted.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I wasn't done yet.

"And you can't get by with a sorry, I forgot, or it won't happen again. No, mom. I'm done. I'm so done!" I yelled and ran upstairs.

I didn't care about her feelings. It seemed like she didn't care about mine. She didn't care about my grades. She didn't even care about my safety.

My parents have been leaving me alone since I was fourteen, and I was so lonely all the time. They'd miss school functions. I couldn't call them if it was an emergency, and I never got to see them anymore, especially not my dad.

I locked my bedroom door and laid down on my bed. My cries broke the silence of my room when I heard shouting downstairs. She probably called my dad to tell him that I snapped at her.

I was so upset, so I decided to call the one person I needed the most right now. Luke.

After trying two times, I heard his voice through the speaker.

"Kate?"

"Hey." I sniffed and sighed.

"Are you alright? You sound like you just cried?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just fought with my mum."

"She's home?"

"Yes. Seems weird, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, kind of." I wanted to cuddle or something, but I just left his house.

"So, what're you doing right now?"

"I'm hanging out with the guys,"

I heard Ashton and Calum say 'hi' through the phone, and Michael said a cheery 'hiya'. I smiled, tears still fresh on my face. They made me happy. All of them.

"Can't you come over?" Luke asked

"Again?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"I don't know, Luke. My mum just came home, and we argued. I don't think she'll let me leave."

I wanted to go back to his house and snuggle up beside him, but I was scared to leave or try to sneak out.

"It's alright. You don't have to."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Stop apologizing." He made me smile again for the fiftieth time today

Silence fell upon us, we and I caught myself thinking about Luke, probably because he was the one on the other line.

"Calum wants to talk to you. Bye, Kate!"

"Okay." I heard crackling on the line, which signaled that the phone was being passed to Calum. "Hey, Cal."

"I want to talk to you right now, young lady. I'm going to another room so the others can't hear what I'm saying, but you're in big trouble, Katherine Bennett,"

"Oh my god."

I heard a door close and all I could hear was Calum's breathing before he spoke up.

"Did you have sex with Luke?"

"What? No!"

"Don't lie to me."

"We didn't, Calum. I swear to g-"

"Then hide the fucking hickeys better."

"The w-what?" I stood up and ran to the bathroom. My shoulder and neck were covered with dark lovebites.

"Holy cow's potatoes," I sighed.

"You can't lie, Kate. Why? Are you guys a couple or something?"

"No, we're not. I'll explain later, okay?"

"So it's true? You're not denying it anymore?"

"Yes, Calum. It's true."

"I'm so shocked, but I gotta go now. Bye Kate."

"Bye."

I hung up and sat up on my bed. I put my phone on my nightstand, before standing and heading to the bathroom. I started taking my clothes off, and then, I got in the shower. All the while, I never stopped thinking about Luke.


	7. Movies

Luke's POV

It was eleven o'clock at night, and I was sitting on my bed, playing my guitar. I didn't know what I was playing, but it was some melody that had been stuck in my head for days.

And when the phone call finally ends, you say I'll call you tomorrow at ten, and I'm stuck in the friend zone again and again.

I wrote some lyrics down on a random piece of paper, and as they came, I started writing more.

You call me up, it's like a broken record, saying that your heart hurts, that you'll never get over him, getting over you.

And when the phone call finally ends, you say thanks for being a friend, and we're going in circles again and again.

But I wanna scream out, you can be with me now, but I end up telling you what you wanna hear

It had a few holes, but it sounded pretty good so far.

Heartbreak Girl?

What? No. I couldn't help my brain wandering back to her. She was starting to consume my every thought, and I needed to find a way to stop it.

Just as I threw my pen to the doorway, Michael stepped inside.

"What the fuck, dude!" He yelled as the pen hit him square in the forehead.

"Oh, sorry. What're you doing here this late?" I sighed, throwing the piece of paper with the words about Kate to the corner of my room.

"What's that? Were you writing?" Michael asked excitedly and picked up the paper, ignoring my question.

"No, it's nothing, Mike. Drop it," I said through my teeth.

It was too late. Michael was already reading the lyrics I'd just written.

"Dude, this is about Kate, isn't it?" he laughed.

"Shut up," I groaned and put my guitar down.

"It's okay, Luke. Why don't you just ask her out?" he suggested, but I shook my head.

It wasn't that easy, but he didn't know the reason why.

"I don't want to ask her out," I stared blankly.

"Why not. You like her, don't you?" he asked, prodding.

"I don't wanna end our friendship," I said, and that was the truth. It was only part of it.

Michael huffed and totally dropped the subject. He started talking about our next band practice, but I didn't even listen because I was too busy daydreaming about Kate.  
.  
.  
.  
Kate's POV

It was a couple of weeks later, and I woke up early yet again, to go to school. I got ready and waited for my ride. Once Calum arrived at my house, I said goodbye to my mum and walked over to Calum's car, which was parked in front of my driveway.

We had made up the next morning. It was pretty emotional if you asked me. I cried while I apologized, and I told her how frustrating it got with her not being around much. I told her that I felt like our relationship was drifting.

After that confession, hadn't been on business for an entire two weeks, which was like a new record. She still had to go into the office occasionally, but it was usually when I was at school, so it didn't affect me.

Once I got around to my side, I hopped in and buckled up.

"Good morning, Cal," I said, and he greeted me back.

"So how was it?" He asked with a smirk.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Sex with Luke," he said like I was supposed to catch on from the beginning.

"Calum, the was two weeks ago," I groaned and sighed deeply.

He grinned."Well?"

"It was good, now drop it, please," I whined. Luke and I hadn't spoken much for the past couple of weeks. He was acting a bit weird for some reason, but I decided not to question it so it wouldn't drive me insane.

"I'm not dropping it that fast," he said and started driving.

"Why did you choose him? Why not me, Ash, or Michael?" He asked.

"I don't know. I-It just felt right." I played with my fingers and stared at them. I couldn't stop blushing.

"Sure," he said sarcastically. "Next time hide the hickeys better."

"I will. Now, shut up" I retorted.

"Oh, and next time, ask me to fuck you, okay?" He said chuckling.

"I will," I joked, laughing.

After about ten minutes, we arrived at school. I got out of Calum's car, thanked him for the ride, and headed straight for my locker.  
.  
.  
.  
"Hey, Luke," I said as I opened my locker, which was next to his.

He looked up and sent me a smile. "Oh, hey."

He was wearing black ripped jeans, just like me, with a grey shirt. His hair was a bit messy, but that made him look kinda hot.

"Calum knows," we both said at the same time.

We both smiled, and I could feel the blush creeping on my face. I saw Luke's already though.

"Are you free after school? We could hang out with the boys?" He asked.

"No, sorry. I'm going to Thomas'," I said.

With a few more hangouts with Thomas, he had me whipped. I loved hanging out with him. He was so genuine and funny, and he made me smile more than anyone else could. I had a feeling he was going to ask me out soon, and I was just anticipating the day that would happen.

I prayed it would be today when we hung out. I'd never had a boyfriend before, but it would be awesome if Thomas was my first and possibly last.

I saw something break in Luke's eyes, and his smile dropped too.

"Oh, okay. Have fun," he said, trying to hide the fact that he was...sad?

Then, he walked away, leaving me in the hallway wondering what the hell had just happened.  
.  
.  
.  
After school, I went over to Thomas's flat. I knew where he lived, and it wasn't far away, so I just walked.

Once I'd arrived, I knocked on his door twice. The door opened quickly, and there stood Thomas, the handsome guy I'd met months ago at that party.

"Hello, beautiful," he said smiling.

I smiled back. "Hey."

He kissed my cheek and lead me inside. At this point, we knew a lot about each other, since we texted and hung out a bunch.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked.

"Sure," I said following him to his living room.  
.  
.  
.  
Later, we were watching a movie, while sitting on the couch. Thomas's arm was wrapped around my waist, and my head laid on his shoulder.

Although it wasn't evening yet, I felt my eyes start to close.

"Hey, don't fall asleep," Thomas smiled.

I opened my eyes again and focused back on the movie. I really liked Thomas, and I was positive that we could make something out of whatever this was. I just felt so comfortable around him.

When I looked up at him, I had realized that he was staring at me the whole time.


	8. Cardigan

Calum's POV

"You should just tell her," I said trying to consult one of my best friends.

"What makes you think I could just come out and say something like that?" He retaliated.

You see, I knew Luke liked Kate. Michael knew Luke liked Kate. Ashton knew Luke liked Kate. Basically, we all knew Luke liked Kate! Luke may try and come off as cool and badass, but he's totally a big softie, just like the green giant in the broccoli commercials. Ah, broccoli.

"Because...she likes you too!" I said, not really knowing whether that was still true or not. She was starting to hang out with that Thomas guy a lot more often, and it looked like her feelings for Luke were starting to fade. I really just wanted him to get out of his funk and get it off of his chest.

"That's bullshit and you know it, Cal," he returned in a low growl.

"Alright! Alright!" I rose my hands in surrender. "That may or may not be true, but there's no need to turn into a bridezilla on me."

When Luke was frustrated with something, he took it out on everyone in his path. That happened to be me at the moment. Even though sometimes it was quite amusing, I didn't like to see him all worked up and sad. Luke was always happy, so when the rare occasion that he was upset came, I really felt bad for him.

"I'm sorry mate. I just-I don't know what to do. I really like her Cal, but she likes someone else," He spilled. He started pacing across the room, out of frustration I assumed. Then, he sat down and put his face in his hands.

"Text her," I instructed.

"What?" He looked up at me in confusion.

"Text her and start a conversation," I repeated seriously.

"I can't. She's hanging out with Thomas," he said, putting his head back in his hands again.

"Just do it, Luke. If she responds, you're more important to her than her little hang-out session with whoever this Thomas kid is. If she doesn't,-she will, so text her now." I said, trying to persuade Luke as best as I could.

If Luke wanted to be, he could be really stubborn, and I hoped that his heart overpowered his brain in this situation.

"Fine," Luke responded, with a grunt. He whipped out his phone and typed a quick message to her. Then, he swiftly turned it off and held it in between his palms, hanging his head low.

A few seconds later, his phone signaled that he'd gotten a message, and his head shot up. He had wide eyes, and he honestly looked like he was about to cry. I winked at him, and he stood up and began to pace across the room.

Once he finally stopped acting like a crazy person, he sat back down and continued his conversation with Kate.  
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Kate's POV

I slowly opened my eyes when I felt the faint buzzing of my phone on my butt. When I finally came back to reality, I didn't recognize my surroundings, but I slowly remembered after the events of earlier that day replayed in my mind.

I quickly took out my phone to see who was trying to get into contact with me. My face instantly lit up at the sight of the name that popped into my lock screen, confirming that I had gotten a new message.

Lukey <3  
Hey Kate. Are you alright? Having fun with Thomas?

I quickly responded so he would know that I was fine.

Kate  
Yup, I'm all good. What's up?

As I waited for him to text me back, I realized that Thomas wasn't anywhere around. I got up to look around for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere, and I checked all over his flat. All over.

I gave up on looking for Thomas, after a while. I just returned to my spot on the couch and sat down there, still waiting for a response from Luke.

Lukey <3  
Nothing really...I was just checking on you, making sure you were having a good time. That's all.

It was sweet of him to check up on me, but it confused the hell out of me. Since when?

Kate

Oh, okay. I don't know where Thomas is. He isn't anywhere to be found in his flat, and it's sort of freaking me out.

Lukey <3

Really? Do I need to come and pick you up?

I felt flustered that he would go out of his way to pick me up this late on a school night. It made me feel special, but I didn't want to just ditch Thomas like that. I decided that I was going to stay until he returned.

Kate  
No, I'm okay. I'm just going to wait until he gets back from wherever he is. I'll call or text if I need anything. Don't worry too much about me, okay? xx

Lukey <3  
Alright...just let me know x

I was going to respond, but I heard the door open. My first instinct was to grab the nearest heavy or sharp object for self-defense, but the voices that traveled to my ear stopped me.

I got up from my spot on the couch, and my feet led me to where the voices were. As I got closer, I realized that the voices weren't from two guys. There was a girl.

I quickly got out my phone and texted Luke. It didn't look like this was going to end well, so I just wanted to make sure he was on his way.

Kate  
Thomas just got back to his flat.

I just wanted to make sure he knew that first, so he wouldn't freak out.

Lukey <3  
Okay :-) have fun! x

I got angry all of a sudden at what he responded with, but then I realized that I gave him as little information as possible, so he didn't know.

Kate

No, Luke. Thomas just got back to his flat, but he brought a girl with him. Can you come and pick me up?

I was on the verge of tears because I thought that Thomas was such a good guy. Why me?

Lukey <3  
Sure, babe. Send me the address?

I sent Luke the address, and I went to the front to reveal myself to Thomas and the girl he brought with him. Once I got there, I saw something that made my heart stop.

Thomas was smiling wide, while his arm was draped around a very pretty girl's shoulders. She would say something, and he would laugh lightly. I felt myself crumbling.

Once Thomas and I made eye contact, he immediately stopped in his tracks and his facial expression was replaced by a small frown.

"Oh...Kate, I didn't know you were still here," he started.

"Yeah, well I was here when you left me wasn't I?" I retaliated. That fact that he even said that made me angry. He could've at least tried to wake me up, but he didn't.

"To be fair, I told you not to go to sleep," he spat back. What the hell?

"What does that have to do with anything. You didn't even have the decency to wake me up!" I yelled.

By this point, I was so done with Thomas. I thought he was different, but he proved me wrong.

"Well, if you didn't fall asleep as I told you, I wouldn't have to wake you up. I had places to be, so I just left. I figured you'd leave too, once you couldn't find me," he said, trying to contain his anger.

"Whatever...you never introduced me to your friend, Thomas," I stated, trying to change the subject.

Just as I finished my statement, my phone buzzed. It was Luke.

Lukey <3

I'm here. Should I come in? Are you okay?

He bombarded me with a bunch of questions, and I honestly felt flattered that he cared so much. What did I expect though? He was my best friend. I replied with something straight to the point, so he wouldn't worry.

Kate  
Okay. No, I'm fine. I'll be out in a second.

Then, Thomas spoke up.

"Oh, um...this is my cousin Lexi," he stammered. "She just came in from Queensland. That's where I went when I left, I was at the airport picking her up," he finished. It didn't convince me, but I decided to go with it.

"Nice to meet you...?" Lexi spoke up and reached out forward, to shake my hand.

"Katherine," I stared blankly. I shook her hand and returned to my previous position.

"Yeah, Katherine. Right. Well, it's nice to meet you, Katherine," she said, with a fake smile plastered across her face.

She was fake. I could tell, and I couldn't stand her. Everything about her made me want to puke.

"Nice to meet you too, Lexi," I returned.

"Do you want to stay and watch a movie with us?" She asked.

"No, I was just about to go. I've had enough of movies today, thanks." I said with a straight face. "Bye Thomas. By Lexi." I said and walked straight out of the door. I didn't bother closing it all the way.

As soon as I got out of Thomas's flat complex. I saw Luke sitting in his car waiting for me. Before I could get to where he was parked, I felt a gust of wind, which reminded me that I forgot my cardigan on Thomas's couch.

Luke looked up, and we made eye contact. He got out of his car and shut the door, but before he could say anything, I held a finger up to signal for him to wait a second.

"I forgot my jacket. I'll be right back," I rushed. He nodded, and I spun on my heels and ran back into the building. It's a good thing Thomas's flat was on the bottom floor.

It had paid off that I left the door cracked, so I just slipped in with the plan to get my cardigan and leave.

I opened the door, making a happy face when it didn't creak or anything, and I tip-toed my way to his living area. I saw that my cardigan had been put on a coatrack, so I grabbed it and headed straight for the door.

Before I could exit, I heard a loud moan coming from my right. I looked over to see Thomas and Lexi had a very heated make-out session, and I stopped in my tracks.

I dropped my cardigan and put my hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the choked sob that was coming through.

Thomas looked up for a second, and he just stared, completely stopping what he was doing. Lexi turned around, to see why Thomas had stopped peppering kisses to her neck. She was only in a bra, and Thomas didn't have on a shirt.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and all I wanted to do was get out of there. I picked up my cardigan and ran out of his flat as fast as my legs could carry me.

"Kate, wait!" Thomas called out, but I didn't care. I just kept running.

I couldn't believe that just happened.

As soon as I got outside, I darted towards Luke. He looked up in confusion, but his facial expression was soon replaced with one of worry. He opened his arms, and I gladly ran into them.

Right when my body came into contact with his, I let the sobs take over my body.

"Kate, what happened?" Luke asked, rubbing my back.

"I-I...I went b-back into T-Thomas' flat, a-and I found him and L-Lexi making out o-on his b-bed," I choked out. My heart was broken, and I didn't know what to do.

He didn't even ask who Lexi was, for my sake, but I was pretty sure he already had a clue. He just hugged me even tighter.

"Shhh...It's okay princess. It's going to be okay," he cooed. We stayed like that for fifteen minutes probably. He would just kiss my forehead, rub my back, and gently rock from side to side.

All the while, he never stopped repeating those same words over and over again in his attempt to calm me down, and I even started to believe him.


	9. Diner

Kate's POV

After about fifteen minutes of me crying, my eyes were all dried out, but Luke didn't stop holding me. I looked up at him, and he pressed his lips to my forehead, leaving a long kiss there.

"Are you ready to go home, babe?" He asked after he came up. I nodded, so he opened the car door for me to get in. He then went around and got in the car himself.

Once we were set, Luke started the car and we drove off. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up.

"Kate, are you okay?" He asked, looking over at me quickly, before focusing his attention back on the road.

"I don't know," I said in a monotoned voice. It was true. I seriously didn't know if I was okay, and I didn't know if or when I was going to be okay again.

My heart was shattered, and I didn't think anyone could fix it.

"What happened back there?" He questioned.

"Thomas broke my heart. That's what happened. I caught him with another girl after I thought he likes me. I trusted him, but he shredded it. He's an asshole," I rambled.

Luke nodded, signaling that he got what I'd just said. No one really ever listened to me except the boys. Not even my mom.

I felt like crying again, and tears pricked my eyes. I started sniffling and Luke looked over in a panic.

We were coming up on an old diner, so Luke pulled over. Once we parked, I lost it. Sobs took over my body, and it felt like I wouldn't ever stop crying. I felt so weak and defenseless.

"Shhh...No, no, no, Kate. Don't cry. Please don't cry. I don't like it when girls cry," Luke said in a soothing voice.

He grabbed his door handle and got out of the car, walking over to my side. He opened my door and put his hand out for me to grab. I accepted, and we pulled me out of the car and engulfed me in a hug.

I cried into his chest, and he stroked my hair. When I looked up, he wiped my tear-stained cheeks with his thumbs. He stared at me for a long time, before sighing. I pouted, and his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Once he caught on to me flickering my eyes back and forth from his lips and his eyes, he bent down and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. I tried to smile at him, but I failed, so I just studied the way the cracks were made in the concrete. I sort of looked like how my heartfelt.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, breaking the calm silence.

"I don't think so, but I haven't had anything since lunch, so I should probably eat something," I responded shuffling my feet.

"Okay, then let's go in," he said pointing to the diner ahead of us. I nodded and he grabbed my hand.

We walked into the diner and grabbed a flag that was sitting in a basket at the door. We then found somewhere to sit, and we put the flag on the stand.

An older waitress noticed our flag, so she came over and introduced herself.

"I'm Carolyn, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" She asked inspecting Luke and me.

"Nice to meet you, Carolyn. I'm Luke, and this is Kate. Can we have two Cokes please?" Luke said, introducing us and requesting our drinks. He looked over to me to make sure I was okay with having Coke, and when I nodded, he sent me a small smile.

Carolyn jotted our drink orders down and told us that she'd be right back to take our meal orders. She came back a few minutes later with our drinks and a notepad.

"What would you guys like to eat on this very fine evening?" She asked smiling. I frowned, and my bottom lip started to tremble.

Luke looked over to me worriedly, before he looked up to an expectant Carolyn, waiting for him to place his order. I bit my lip to keep myself from letting out a choked sob, but it wasn't working. A single tear slipped from my eye, and I frantically wiped it away.

"Um, let me have the breakfast special number three with extra hash, please," he said looking back over to me.

"And for you, Kate?" She questioned, still smiling as she wrote down Luke's order in that secret waitress code they always wrote in.

I cleared my throat, to try and keep my voice from cracking, and I made eye contact with her. She frowned, and I looked back down, feeling ashamed.

"I-um...I-Can I have an order of pancakes, please? Bacon on the side?" I asked politely. My plan to get my voice not to crack failed as I tripped over my words.

She looked at me again, and I felt uncomfortable. "How many pancakes, and how many slices of bacon would you like, sweetie?" She asked.

"Um, three for both, please," I stated.

I expected her to walk away, but she stood there for a second. Then she put her pencil behind her ear and her notepad in one of the pockets that were on her apron.

"I don't mean to invade you all's privacy, but may I ask what's wrong, Kate?" She questioned, leaning in.

"She's just having a rough night," Luke said for me. He'd looked at me before, and I nodded, letting him know he could answer for me, so I wouldn't have another breakdown in the middle of the quiet diner.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, darling," she said sympathetically. "Would you care to talk about it?" She added. I shook my head rapidly.

"N-no, t-thanks," I replied, trying to contain the overwhelming sobs that I knew were about to come.

"Well, alright then. Your food should be ready in about ten minutes," she said walking away.

As soon as she was gone, I just let the flood of sobs wash over me. They were quiet, and I couldn't stop. Luke got up from his side of the booth and slid into mine.

He hugged me tightly whispered sweet things in my ear, to try and get me to calm down, but I just cried more.

Carolyn came back over five minutes later, to check on us, but gasped when she saw the scene in front of her.

"What happened?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"Kate just got a little worked up. Can you package our food when it comes out? I don't think we'll be staying to finish it," Luke told Carolyn. She nodded and scurried off to retrieve our food.

"Shh, princess. It's all going to be okay. We'll be out of here soon, and I'll take you home," Luke said soothingly.

Minutes later, Carolyn came back with our boxes. We got up, left a good tip on our table, and went over to the register to pay.

Just as we were about to exit the diner, Carolyn walked up to us and looked in my direction. She leaned in and gave me a small message.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but I hope you feel better soon. Your boyfriend is handling this very well. He's a keeper, so don't let him go," she whispered so only I could hear her. I tried smiling at her, but I failed once again, so I just nodded.

She smiled, and we walked out. Luke's arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

When we got to his car, he opened my door for me to slide in, and he went around to his side and got in as well. He started the car, and we drove off.

The whole ride, we sat in comfortable silence, and I just thought about the words Carolyn said to me right before we left the diner. Luke wasn't even my boyfriend, but the question was: did I want him to be?  
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Luke's POV

The drive to Kate's house was silent. I was sort of disappointed that we couldn't stay and eat at the diner, but I didn't mind. I had eaten at Calum's house before I came to get her, so I wasn't that hungry in the first place.

I was also frustrated. I could believe Thomas would do something like that to hurt my girl. I never liked him, but I learned to accept him because Kate had the hots for him. I did it for her, and he wasted it.

This made me fuming with rage and hatred for the guy. I gripped the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles turned white.

I calmed myself down so I could focus on the road and get to Kate's house safely. I looked over to see her staring out of the window absentmindedly. She was so beautiful, and Thomas probably ruined her self-image.

I swear, if I ever saw him walking in the streets, I would run his ass over. He never deserved a wonderful girl like Kate, and the fact that did this to her made my blood boil.   
.  
.  
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After about ten more minutes of silent driving, we arrived just outside of Kate's house. She looked at me expectantly.

"I'll come by tomorrow to check on you, okay?" I said smoothly.

She frowned, so I took her face in between my hands. I kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered closed. When I pulled away, she whimpered, eyes opening to dart around to every feature on my face. I leaned in and kissed her lips briefly, before pulling away.

"Stay?" she asked. "My parents are on business again for two weeks, and I don't want to be alone. Not tonight," she explained.

"Of course. Let's go," I said, hopping out of the car. I went around to her side and opened her door, helping her out.

We walked hand in hand to her front door so she could let us in. Once I stepped foot into her house, I went to put our food in her fridge so it wouldn't spoil.

When I returned to her living room, I found her sitting on her couch staring ahead into nothingness.

Damn, she was so beautiful. I really liked her, but she could never find out. We'd stop being friends if she found out, and I didn't want that to happen.

I sat down next to her, and she looked over at me. I could see the hurt behind her beautiful green eyes, and all I wanted to do was take it away.

Before I could finish my thoughts, she grabbed my face and turned it towards her. She stared into my eyes for a few seconds before smashing our lips together.

I gasped, being caught off guard, and she used that to her advantage, slipping her tongue into my mouth. Our tongues swirled together, moving in sync.

I gently tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth, making her let out a soft moan. We continued kissing breathlessly for a few minutes, before she climbed onto my lap, straddling my waist.

She reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it off with ease. She left kisses up and down my chest, stopping on my neck to suck the skin there. I could tell that I was going to be left with a bunch of lovebites there when she was done.

I groaned when she circled her hips against my crotch. I felt myself getting hard, and I knew that I needed her right then.

"Kate, I-" I was cut off by my own moaning when she continued to create friction between us by grinding against me.

I broke the kiss to move my lips to her neck. I left light kisses all across her collar bone and up her neck. Then, I went behind her ear and sucked on a spot there. I teasingly bit down on the skin there, cooling the burning sensation with the pad of my tongue.

She moaned, "Luke, please." She started circling faster, and I almost lost my cool. My cock was starting to throb, begging for me to release the tension.

"I know, baby. I know," I said moaning. I had to have her now, so I got up and wrapped her legs around my waist so we could move to her bed upstairs.

Once we'd made it up the stairs, I closed and locked the door, just to make sure no one came in. We made our way over to her bed, and I laid her down, climbing on top of her.

I kissed her lips and swiped my tongue across her bottom one, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. As we kissed, I realized what was happening. We were about to have sex, but Kate was still hurt. I couldn't go through with this.

I froze, and she noticed. I looked into her eyes, worry clear on my face. She frowned.

"I-I can't do this, Kate," I said, my voice wavering. We both sat up.

"What? Why not?" She asked quickly trying to figure me out.

"I know you're hurt, and I don't want to take advantage of you. Look, I really want this, but not when you're like this," I confessed.

She looked up and down my body, before responding. "I want this Luke. I wouldn't have started it if I didn't. I want you right here, right now. This is my escape. You're my escape. You make me feel things I've never felt before, and there's nothing more that I want right now than you," she said looking me straight in the eyes.

My mind started racing with all of the worst-case scenarios, and again, she noticed.

"Stop overthinking it, and just take me already," she said, and that was enough for me.

She grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me down with her.

* * *

We made out for what felt like forever, in that time, I'd managed to get her into just her panties and bra. I had also stripped down to just my boxers.

I couldn't stop my hands from roaming all over her body, which caused her to reward me with several soft moans.

I wanted to kiss her everywhere. I left a bunch of hickeys all over her chest and neck, making sure to tend to her sweet spot every once in a while.

I went to the valley of her breasts, and I removed her bra, letting them spill out. I kissed down until I got to the waistband of her underwear. Her hips bucked off of the bed, wanting to get closer to me.

I pressed them down, to make sure she didn't move, and I worked my way back up to her mouth. We had a heated kiss going on when I started kneading her right breast in my hands.

She moaned so loud that it bounced off of the walls. "Luke, oh my- please!"

I went back down to the top of her lace underwear. I squeezed her hips lightly and just kissed there, sucking now and then. She continued to moan and beg, so I slid them off.

I pressed the pad of my thumb against her, and I felt the moisture that was there. I put each of my hands on top of her thighs, to make sure she didn't move, and I blew against her core. She cried out and begged for me to pleasure her the way only I know-how.

I swiped my tongue across her, and she whimpered my name. Her hands found my hair, and she ran her hands through it, tugging at its roots. I moaned and kept flicking my tongue across her.

Once I started to feel her legs shake, I got up from my position and headed straight for her neck again. I rubbed my bulge against her core, just to tease her, and she let out a throaty groan.

I moved to her lips and swallowed the gasp she let out when I circled my hips against her.

She wanted an escape, and I felt good knowing that I was it for her. I wanted to use this time to do everything I could to make her feel good.

"C-condom?" I asked to stutter. My groin was going to explode if I didn't get inside of her soon.

"Drawer of the nightstand," she instructed shuddering.

As I reached over to retrieve the condom from her nightstand, she palmed me slowly through my boxers. I felt like I was going to burst.

I took my boxers off, removed the condom from its packaging, and rolled it over myself quickly. I was more than eager to be inside of her again, and I was going to lose my mind if it wasn't soon.

I lined myself up with her entrance, and I worked my lips against hers. I slowly pushed into her, and she moaned softly out of relief. My tongue worked expertly against hers as I created a steady pace with me rocking into her.

I felt a fluttering in my stomach, with each rock into her, and I didn't know how to describe it. The sex we were having was pure passion, and it was full of affection. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

At that moment I realized one thing: I loved Kate.

I loved her, and I didn't know what I was going to do about it. I tried not to overthink it. Since we were pretty intimate at the moment, I decided to express my love for her the only way I could right now. I was going to make love to her.

I didn't care about the lessons at this moment. I let that all slip away as I focused on her needs and my feelings. Even if we never spoke again, I would never forget the way she made me feel.

I pulled out and pushed into her at a slow pace repeatedly, the kiss we were sharing was just as slow.

"Mmm, Luke," she gasped as I pushed in a little harder, deeper even.

"I know, baby. Come for me, princess. It's okay," I cooed, encouraging her.

"Luke, I'm c-close," she whimpered, running her hands through my hair and down my back.

"Come on, baby. You can do it," I said, continuing to rock into her slow and steadily.

"Oh, Luke, I-" she said before tightening around me.

I brought my lips back to hers, as I tried to finish myself off as well. I went at an even slower pace until I felt the pressure build-up in my lower spine.

"Fuck, Kate. I lo-I'm so proud of you, baby. You're so strong," I whispered as I reached my climax. I came undone in the condom, and I pulled out.

I took off the condom, tied it in a knot, and put it back in its packaging neatly, so I could discard it later. I fell onto the spot next to her, and I sighed in content.

* * *

She faced me and spoke up. "Thank you, Luke," she said sincerely.

"Anytime, babe," I said in return. "Come here."

I opened my arms wide, and she scooted closer so I could wrap them around her. I rested my hands around her waist, and hers fell around my neck. She played with the hair there, and I kissed her right on the lips. She smiled at me for the first time tonight, and I returned it grinning wide.

She left a kiss to my chest, right over my heart, as I traced ' I love you's all across her back.

I got up to find my boxers, so my morning wood didn't directly poke her when we got up the next day.

Once I found them. I slipped them on and slid back under the duvet. She was facing the opposite way, eyes closed. I draped an arm over her waist and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

"Goodnight, Kate," I said. "I love you," I added whispering so only I could hear.

"Mhmm," she responded, letting sleep take over her.

I did the same, and soon, we were both in a deep peaceful sleep.


	10. Showers

Kate's POV

I woke up to the sun shining through the curtains. I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out where I was. Once I realized I was in my room, the memories of last night started to flood in. I sighed contently.

Luke's arm was draped over my waist, and his head was placed on my shoulder. I could hear his light snores, his chest rising and falling at a steady pace.

I turned around so I could get a better look at his face. He looked so peaceful and innocent in his sleep, and I would kill anyone who ever tried to take that away from him.

I placed a light kiss on his jaw, and he held me tighter. We stayed like this for a while, before I had to get up to use the bathroom.

I tried slipping out of the duvet to get up, but Luke just tightened his grasp.

"Mmm, don't leave," he mumbled.

"I have to pee," I whined. He let go of me so I could get up.

I went to my closet to grab a robe, and I also grabbed some clothes so I could take a shower while I was in the bathroom. I wrapped the robe around my body and made my way back over to where Luke was laying.

His eyes were still closed, so I pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.

"Kate, don't start something you can't finish," he said clearly, eyes remaining closed. I just ran off to the bathroom so I could pee and get in and out of the shower quickly.

I opened the door to the bathroom and flicked the lights on. I went over to the shower and started it so the water would be warm when I got in.

I quickly brushed my teeth and used the bathroom, before I took off my robe. I hopped into the shower and sighed when the warm water ran down my back. Being in the shower gave me time to think, so I did.

I thought about what happened last night. Literally, everything from me catching Thomas with Lexi to me having a series of breakdowns, and finally to Luke and I finish the night off with some passionate sex.

I didn't know where we stood, but I knew that every time he kissed me, looked at me, or even said my name, faint butterflies erupted in my stomach.

I didn't know what it was that I felt, so I ignored it. I couldn't be falling for Luke, I just couldn't. It would end our lessons, but most importantly, our friendship. I wasn't ready for that to happen.

I decided not to think about it for the rest of my shower, so I just concentrated on the way the water hit my back.

.

.

.

Lukes POV

I woke up, fully, about five minutes after Kate left for the bathroom. My phone buzzed in my pants pocket, but I ignored it.

I just laid on my back thinking about everything that happened last

night.

I had made love to Kate, and it was the best sex I've ever had. It was so passionate, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to be sharing that experience with.

I confessed my love for her to myself, and now, I didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't tell her because that would cause us to have to stop seeing each other, and I didn't want that.

My phone buzzed again, but this time, it went off four times instead of once. I groaned and picked myself out of bed to locate my jeans, which had my phone in the back pocket.

I grabbed my phone and hopped back into Kate's bed, pulling the duvet over me. I unlocked it, once I was settled back in, and saw that I had three missed calls. There was one from each of my bandmates.

I then opened my texts to see four from Calum, two from Michael, and one from Ashton. I opened his first.

Ash

My phone buzzed in my pants pocket, but I ignored it. That was an hour ago. I had probably missed it, so I didn't even

band practice in ten! be there or be square!  
respond. I moved on to the messages I got from Michael.

Mikey

Where are you?? o.O

Mikey

What the fuck, man! You NEVER miss band practice!

I repeated, clarifying who I was talking about. He responded about

That was twenty minutes ago. I opened Calum's messages last.

Cal Pal

where are you like? band practice started ten minutes ago.

Cal Pal

what's going on? why aren't you here?

Cal Pal

mate, what the hell? is something wrong?

Cal Pal

I'm coming over.

I responded to him first. I let him know that I was fine, and I told him that he shouldn't come over.

Luke

Don't come over. I'm not home, and I'm fine. I just overslept. Sorry :-(

He quickly responded.

Cal Pal

where are you? you never oversleep. are you okay?

Luke

Mate, I think I love her.

I confessed my deepest secret to one of my best friends. I couldn't tell anyone else but him because he knew my head. He knew how I really felt about her.

Cal Pal

what? who?

Luke

Kate. I think I love her.

two seconds later by calling me.  
"Hello?" I said, waiting for someone to answer.

"Guys, Luke's on the phone!" I heard Calum say, and then in the background, I heard the voices of Michael and Ashton greeting me. "Hi, Lukey! Fuck you!" Michael yelled.

$3 $229

"Luke, you're such a square. You didn't even come to band practice." Ashton said loudly.

"Guy, I'll be right back, okay," I heard Calum say to the boys. Then I

"Hi guys," I said softly.

"Okay, I'm back," he said after a few minutes. "So, you love her?" He heard shuffling, which signaled that he was changing rooms. added asking me for confirmation.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't know, Calum. I just know the way she makes me feel inside is so indescribable. I think I'm in love with her, Cal, and I don't know what to do about it." I confessed with a huff.

"Fuck, I don't know, mate," he sighed. "I've never seen you like this," he added.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," I panted, and the air grew thick. "Where are you?" He questioned.

"I'm at her's," I said slowly. I didn't know whether I should tell him the truth or not, so I just waited for him to ask questions before I spilled everything.

"What happened last night, Luke," he asked quizzically. I sat in silence for a second, but his voice brought me out of it quickly. "Hello?" 

"Again? Are you serious?" He said frantically. The line started to

"We had sex, Cal," I said rolling over.

"Yes, Calum. I'm serious," I stated in a clipped tone. "That's when I

realized that I loved her," I added softly.

crackle, which meant he was moving.

"Oh, my fuck. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked sympathetically.

"Um, I don't-" I said, and as I heard the door jiggle, I stopped talking.

"You don't what?" Calum asked, confused as to why I stopped talking in the middle of my sentence. Kate walked into the room, and she smiled at me. I returned it.

"Yeah, okay. Bye," I said quickly, to cover up the fact that I was just talking about my love for Kate to Calum. I hung up the phone, and Kate came around and sat on my side of the bed.

"Who was that?" Kate asked playing with the loose threads on her duvet.

"It was just Calum. I missed band practice, so he called to rant on me," I said giving a small chuckle.  
She giggled and got up, putting her robe back into her closet. "Can I go shower?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah, sure," she said not paying attention to me. "Everything you need is in the bathroom," she added turning around and meeting my eyes.

I got up and made my way to the bathroom, using the toilet as soon as I got there. I started the water and brushed my teeth with my extra toothbrush that I leave here for emergencies.

Once I felt that the water was hot, I stepped out of my boxers and hopped in. The water felt nice against my back, and I couldn't help but notice the faint hearts that were drawn into the shower door from the steam by its previous user.

I washed my hair with some of Kate's vanilla shampoo, and I bathed with a random bar of soap that I found on the soap dish. It smelled nice, so I used it.

After washing myself a few more times, I turned off the water and got

out. I dried off and wrapped a towel around my lower half.

I left the bathroom and headed back to Kate's room, where I found her taking selfies on my phone. I cleared my throat so she was aware of my presence, and she looked up. Her cheeks flushed a bright red before she placed my phone back on the bed.

"Sorry, it's a habit," she said not meeting my eyes.

"It's fine. I don't mind," I said sending her a small smile. She shot me one back, and her eyes raked my body.

We fell into silence, with us just scanning over each other's bodies. I

"Um...Do you still have that drawer with my clothes in it?" I asked

felt like I was going to be sick again.

"Yeah, it's over there," she said pointing to a chest of drawers in the

breaking the silence.

corner of the room. "It's the bottom one," she added.

"Okay, thanks," I said. I walked over to the chest, but she got up and stopped me, pulling on my wrist. I turned around and she pulled me down to her by my neck. She pressed her lips to mine and stuck her tongue in my mouth.

My hands found their way to her hips, and I gently squeezed. She softly moaned before she started pressing kisses on my jaw and up and down my neck. My stomach flipped, and the butterflies went crazy. She placed her hands on my chest and continued to work across my neck. I started to feel myself get hard.

After a few minutes of her kissing me, we pulled away, and she was

the first one to speak.

"What are we doing, Luke?" She asked and looked up at me, eyes wild.

"Honestly?" She nodded. "I don't know," I replied, sighing. She

"I'm just going to fix up some breakfast while you change," she said

wiggled out of my grasp completely, and I frowned.

softly, after noticing my expression.  
"Okay," I replied.  
"Come down when you're done," she said leaving the room.

I fell back onto her bed, with a loud huff. What was I going to do? 

.  
.

Kate's POV

I went downstairs to find something to make for breakfast. When I stepped into the kitchen, I headed straight for my fridge.

Inside, I found the food that Luke and I had gotten from the diner the

stepped into the kitchen, I headed straight for my fridge.

night before. I decide to warm that up, just to make my life easier.

Minutes later, after the food was warmed up and place on the table, ready to be devoured, Luke came down in a black Nirvana shirt, black skinny jeans, and black Vans. His hair was sticking up in random directions, but he looked gorgeous, and when he looked over to me, he tugged on his bottom lip. I nearly fainted, and I felt dizzy.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked, taking a seat next to me. "Leftovers," I replied looking down at my plate.

"Yum!" He exclaimed rubbing his hands together. He picked up the fork I set out for him and dug into his food.  
.  
.

.  
Luke's POV

After we finished breakfast, we sat on her couch and watched television. We were just looking at re-runs of Friends and cuddling shamelessly.

She sat next to me and laid her head on my shoulder. I, in turn, wrapped my arms around her. I looked down at her for a while, and when she finally noticed that I was staring at her, she turned around and kissed me on the lips.

I held her head in place with one of my hands as I used the other to caress her cheek. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, and our tongues fought for dominance. I let her win.

She pushed me back and climbed on top of me, straddling my torso. I let out a soft moan when she rubbed herself against my crotch. She did it again, teasing me.

I sat up and broke our kiss to move to the sweet spot on her neck. I stayed there, sucking gently every few seconds, before moving back to her mouth.

After a few more minutes of heated making out, I pulled away.

"We're going into town tonight!" I started wiggling my eyebrows,

"I have an idea!" I said excitedly. "What is it?" She said chuckling softly.

grinning wide.  
"Okay, that seems fun," she said smirking.

She got off of my lap and sat down next to me. I looked down and noticed that I had a boner peeking out of my tight pants. I got up quickly and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Kate asked curiously.

"Bathroom," I yelled as I ran up the stairs, desperate to solve my problem.


	11. Ketchup

Kate's POV

It was about six in the evening when Luke and I set off for the city. We lived more on the outskirts of Sydney, so I never got to go much. Plus, my parents were almost always away, and that left no one to take me.

We were in the car when Luke's cell phone rang. He looked over to me and asked me to get it for him. I picked it up and I saw Michael's name flash across the screen. I answered, and my ear was met by loud yelling.

"Lucas!! Hi, mate! Are we still meeting at KFC in Sydney in thirty, or no?" He said, calming down by the end. I just laughed at his behavior. This was classic Michael.

"Hey, Mike. It's Kate, and yes we are. We're en route now. Where are you?" I responded. 

I was so happy to be able to spend some time with my favorite boys. KFC would just be the start of a fabulous night.

"Oh, Hi Kate! We're walking around the city right now. We'll head over to the

"He's driving beside me," I informed him, and Luke looked over to me KFC in ten. Where's Luke?" he asked.

"He driving inside you? That's way too much information, Katherine," winking. I spark shot down my spine, and I felt tingly all of a sudden. I smiled back, blushing a little.

Michael scolded, completely mishearing what I said. 

"No, Gordon. He's driving beside me," I stated more clearly.

"Oh!" he said loudly, making me pull the phone away from my ear. "That makes much more sense," he added.

"Somebody needs to cleanse your mind," I retaliated.

"My mind is clean! It's you who needs to get their brainwashed out," he argued.

Michael was super hilarious and loud when he got worked up about something. His cheeks would turn bright red, and he'd say whatever he was thinking.

"I'm innocent, clearly," I said, not fully believing myself.

Luke looked over to me and placed his hand on my thigh, squeezing lightly.

"Sure you are, babe," he said, teasingly.

"Bye, Mike," I said quickly. Heat quickly rushed up to my neck and my cheeks, creating a deep red blush.

After a few moments of silence, Luke finally spoke up.  
"What did he want?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on the road.

"He just wanted to make sure our plans to meet at KFC were still on," I explained. He nodded and snuck a glance at me.

"Why are you blushing?" He questioned.  
"Michael doesn't think I'm innocent," I confessed, smiling.

"That's because you're not, baby girl. I have it, remember?" He said peering over at me. I blushed even more as we pulled up to the KFC we were supposed to be meeting the boys at.  
.

.  
.  
We got out and walked in to find the boys sitting in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. We walked over, and I was soon attacked by three giants.

"Kate, oh my gosh! I've missed you so much, little sister," Ashton said, squeezing me tight. He pulled away and left a wet kiss on my forehead, only to pull me back in.

"Gross, Ash!" I exclaimed giggling. I pulled away, and Michael was next to greet me.

"Kate! How've you been, babe," he said pulling me into a bear hug. He rocked us back and forth dramatically, and Calum literally had to pry us apart.


	12. Golden Bottles

Luke's POV:

After Calum walked off, I was thoroughly confused. I didn't know what he could want to talk to me about. It consumed my brain, and if I didn't stop thinking about it, I was positive that I would go insane.

"Like let's go play that! It looks so fun!" Kate said jumping up and down. I turned around, and it was some sort of game with a ladder.

We went over and stood in line. There were a couple of pairs ahead of us, so I took the opportunity to figure out what we were supposed to do.

I watched the guy who was working the stand blow a whistle, and the two raced up the ladder. Only, it wasn't that easy. It was a rope ladder, connected at the top and bottom of the booth, on an incline. It wasn't very steep either, but it was nearly impossible to win unless you were a ninja of course.

Every time anyone got remotely close to the bell at the top, the ladder would give, and they would flip over, causing them to fall on the trampoline below.

By the time I finished analyzing the game, it was Kate and I's turn to go. Kate went to her respective side of the booth, and I went to mine. I handed the guy five dollars and took my stance.

"If you don't get to the top, you'll get a prize from the sides. If you get to the top but you don't ring the bell up there, you'll get a prize from the back wall. If you ring the bell, you'll get a prize that's hanging from the ceiling," he explained.

Kate nodded rapidly, and I did too, just not as eagerly. He blew a whistle, and we set off. I grabbed onto the sides of the rope ladder, and Kate went straight for the middle bars. I went as fast as I could go, but it was very challenging.

"My legs are too long for this, oh my god!" I shouted over to Kate. She just laughed and kept going. She was going fast but also taking her time.

"Sucks to suck, doesn't it?" She replied giggling.

"But it'll suck when you lose, right?" I said and kept climbing. I was almost there, just a quarter away. I looked back at Kate, and she was about halfway there.

She smirked, before saying, "Okay, well if you win, I'll give you a surprise." I knew she was referring to the whole conversation we had about 'sucking'.

My eyes went big, and all of a sudden, my ladder flipped. I fell onto the trampoline, and Kate sped her pace up, ringing the bell five seconds after I had fallen. I got up and walked off, waiting for Kate at the beginning of the game.

The sirens on the tent went off, signaling that Kate won. She crawled back down the ladder and got off the contraption, coming over to where I was standing.

"Cheater," I said nudging her. She just giggled innocently.

"It's not my fault you have poor focusing skills and lanky legs, Breadstick," she replied clutching her tummy because of her laughter. I just huffed, not having a good enough comeback.

The guy who ran the game grabbed a pole with a hook on it and walked over to us.

"Which prize would each of you like? Sir, you can pick from the back wall. Ma'am, you can pick a prize from the ceiling," he said.

"Erm, Can I have the heart with the winking face on it?" I asked Kate in mind. He went over and hooked it so he could get it down. Once it was finally off, he gave it to me. I was about the size of Calum, Michael, Ashton, and I's heads put together. It was cute.

"Can I have that penguin with the scarf over there?" She said to point to a huge penguin hanging from the ceiling. He hooked it and got it down for her. He passed it over, and I swear it was like four and a half feet tall.

"Thanks, man," I said before we walked away. We went over to another game, and we saw Michael and Ashton there. We took our space behind them in line, and I snuck up on Michael.

"Boo!" I said tapping his shoulder. He jumped and turned around. He put his middle finger up at me.

"Fuck you, Luke! I could've died!" he shouted dramatically.

"Hi, Luke. Hi, Kate," Ashton said turning around. Kate waved and smile.

We were standing at a ring toss game. You had to get one of your rings around one of the many glass bottles that were set up.

"Hey, where's Cal?" I asked, realizing that he wasn't with the two.

"I don't know. He walked off earlier, but he didn't say where he was going. He and Ash have been in little arguments ever since we got here. I think he's just in a bad mood." Michael explained.

"Do you know what for?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.

"No. Sorry, mate," he replied, frowning.

I felt bad. Even though I had no idea what he would want to talk to me about, I could tell it was important enough for him to get upset about it. Yelling brought me out of my thought and back to reality.

I saw Ashton and Michael jumping up and down, yelling, and hugging each other.

"Oh my god! I can't believe this," Ashton   
shouted.

"I'm so lucky! What is life?" Michael screamed. The guy behind the counter just looked at them like they were crazy. When they finally calmed down, he handed them each a box of Beats headphones.

I looked over at them and have a mental freak out. Beats? I then understood why they were acting as they'd never seen rain before.

"What just happened? I asked both of them.

"We just won goddamn Beats!" Michael yelled.

"Hey, don't swear!" Ashton scolded him. He hit him on the shoulder, and Michael fake cried. They walked away to find something else to play, and it was our turn. We stepped up to the booth, and the guy behind it opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm Jeremy, and this is Bottled Ring Toss," he started pointing to the sign. "You'll get ten rings for five dollars. If you get one of your rings around one of the general bottles, you'll get one of the prizes on the back wall. If you get one of your rings around one of the golden bottles, there are five located sporadically, you'll get a pair of Beats headphones. You have to stand behind the line that perimeters the booth as well. Now, I'm not supposed to say this, but what happened with your friend earlier was crazy and rare because this game is nearly impossible to win." He said. With the last part, he leaned in so only we could hear him.

I handed my money over, and Jeremy gave me ten rings in return. I gave five of them to Kate and kept five for myself. The golden bottles were all towards the middle, and there were five just like Jeremy had told us. I took my spot behind the line, as did Kate. I thought it would be fairly hard, so I tried to concentrate as best as I could.

I threw the first one, and it missed. Kate threw the first of hers after me. She also missed. We both tried again, and it resulted in both of us missing, again. After my third try, I still had no luck, but Kate managed to get hers around a normal bottle.

We kept going, and on our next try, we both got one. Kate got another regular, and I got a gold.

"Oh my god, yes!" I shouted. Kate ran over to me and hugged me. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her.

"Nice job, Breadstick," she said as soon as she came up from the hug.

"You're only calling me names because you're making up for your own slack. You just wish you had the skills that I have, babe. But, it's okay. Better luck next time," I replied smirking. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Jeremy.

"You both still have one ring. Would like like to continue or claim your prize?" He asked.

"Can we claim our prizes?" Kate questioned. Jeremy nodded. He then handed me a box of Beats and asked Kate what two prizes she wanted.

"May I kiss with a heart emoji plush, please?" She asked politely. "And, I want the letter K plush," she added.

He grabbed them down and handed them to her. I picked up our other prizes, and she gave me the ones she's just won. We walked off, with Kate walking slightly in front of me the entire time.

"Kate, can we go over to my car and put these down?" She nodded, so we went in the direction of where we parked. As soon as we got there, I asked the clerk if we were allowed to come back in after we put our stuff down.

"Yes. As long as you have on a wristband, you're fine."  
.  
.  
.  
Once we got to my car, I unlocked the trunk and put our prizes in. Kate was standing by the passenger's door, a frown etched onto her face. I walked over to where she was standing and I stood next to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked staring straight ahead.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she replied sighing.

"If you're fine, why are you sighing?" I questioned. I turned to look at her, but she was just staring off into space.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking," she answered.

"About..."

"Calum, Us, my home life, Everything. I don't know," she said sighing again. I went to stand in front of her, and I grabbed her hands, interlocking her fingers between mine. I looked down at her, but her eyes were focused on her shuffling feet.

"Hey, look at me," I said softly. Her head shot up before we made eye contact. "Listen, babe. Whatever's bothering you, it'll be okay soon. I promise. Everything will clear up, so don't worry," I added.

I sealed my promise by dipping my head down and leaving a lingering kiss on her lips. She visibly relaxed, and when I broke the kiss and looked at her, she was smiling.

"Are you ready to go back in?" I asked. She nodded, and we walked back up to the kiosk. We showed the clerk our wristbands, and she let us through. 

.

.  
.  
After playing more games and making at least two more trips to my car, I got a text from Ashton.

Ash

there's a magic show starting in five, you and Kate in?

Luke  
We'll be there!

I told Kate about the show, and she seemed to be excited. We headed over to the performance tent, and we made it with a minute to spare. Outside waiting for us was Calum.

"Hey, Cal," Kate said grinning. She went in for a hug, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. He let go of her a second later, and it was my turn to greet him.

"Hi, Cal," I waved shyly, and he just smirked. Then he burst out into laughter. I was so confused.

"Hi, Luke. Shall we go in?" He asked after he calmed down. He was still smiling, and I was still more confused than ever.

We went in and sat down as soon as we found Michael and Ashton. They had a carton of popcorn and a bag of cotton candy. We all greeted each other and talked amongst ourselves before we quieted down when the show started.  
.  
.  
.  
After the magic show ended, we left to get on some rides. When we were done, we would leave the carnival for the night.

"What about that one?" Kate suggested pointing to a roller coaster. Reluctantly, everyone agreed. We all got in the line, which wasn't but two people long, and waited.

About three minutes later, when the session before us ended, we showed the guy at the gate our wristbands, and he let us through. The ride started, and all of us were screaming from the time it started until the time it stopped.

"Fuck this shit! I'm out!" Calum yelled as we went down a steep hill.

"There's nowhere for you to fucking go, Calum! Oh my god, I'm going to cry!" Michael screamed. We were speeding down a track and up a hill.

"Shut the hell up! Somebody help me!" I shouted as we came up to another drop.

"Oi! Don't fucking swear!" Ashton scolded as the cart tipped over, and we fell down another hill. Kate was just giggling the whole time. It was so hilarious.

We went on a loop, and she started calling for someone to help, but she was still doing something in between a laugh and a cry. Less than ten seconds later, the ride was over. We stopped, the employee unstrapped us all, and we walked away.

We found another ride, and it was just one that spun us around in little carts on chains. It was relaxing, so we all just enjoyed it. When that ended, we got on two more roller coasters before heading to our final ride of the night. The Ferris Wheel.

We made it just in time to fill that last two carts. Kate and I were a pair, and Michael, Ashton, and Calum sat together. The employee told us that it would last for thirty minutes, so when we got in our cart, Kate decided to rest her head on my shoulder.

"Are you tired, baby?" I asked. She mumbled a 'yes', and I nodded.

"Get a little rest while we're up here then. I'll be here when you get up," I told her. I kissed her forehead as I watched her drift off to sleep.

"M'kay."

All of a sudden I heard 'aw's from above us. I looked up, and three teenage girls were looking down at us from the cart above the one we were sat in.

I didn't pay them any attention really. I just wrapped my arms around Kate and enjoyed the rest of the ride.  
.  
.  
.  
When it was over, I woke Kate up, and we exited the platform. We waited for our other friends to come off by standing on the side. Some girls came up to us, and I recognized them as the one's aw-ing over me and Kate's exchange at the beginning of the ride.

"Excuse me," one of them said. Kate and I looked at them, waiting to hear what they were trying to tell us. "Right, we just wanted to say that you guys are literally relationship goals," she added smiling.

"Thanks, but we aren't in a relationship," Kate replied. The girl frowned.

"Really? You guys look like it," she responded.

"Oh," I said laughing. "We aren't. Sorry," I added just as Ashton, Calum, and Michael came off the platform.

"Bye!" They said waving as we walked off. Kate and I waved back before heading for the exit.

"Who were they?" Ashton asked.

"I don't know. They just came up and started talking to us while we were waiting for you guys," I answered.

"Oh, okay," he responded. The rest of the walk back to our cars was silent.

.  
.  
.  
Once we'd made it to the parking lot, the clerk wished us a safe trip home, and we got in our cars. Calum and Ashton took Michael. I unlocked the doors to my car before going to say goodbye to my best friends.

I didn't get the chance to open Kate's car door for her because when I turned around, she was already in the car with her head against the window. I got in and started the engine, pulling off once the car was good to go.

"Did you have fun?" I asked.

"Yup."

"Are you tired?" I questioned.

"Yup."

"Do you want me to stop asking you questions now so you can sleep?" I asked giggling to myself.

"Yup."

"Okay," I said. After a few minutes, I asked her one more important question.

"Kate?"

"Yes..."

"My house or yours?"

"Yours because your bed is comfy, and I'm exhausted," she replied. I placed my hand on her thigh, and we drove to my house in near silence. There was just low music playing in the background.


	13. Suitcases

Luke's POV

When I woke up, I was in my bed with my arms wrapped tightly around her. I was only in a pair of pajama pants, and Kate had on one of my shirts. I rolled over to check my phone that was on the nightstand. There was a message from Calum.

Cal Pal  
we have band practice in an hour. please show up this time...

Luke

I'll be there.

I closed my phone and turned back around. Kate was stirring a little in her sleep which probably meant that she was close to waking up.

"Kate, wake up," I said tapping her lightly on the shoulder.

"No. I'm too tired," she slurred.

"I have to be at band practice in an hour. We need to get up," I announced. I kissed her on the back of her neck, and I saw goosebumps raise on the skin there. She huffed but turned around to lay on her back.

I got up and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before getting in the shower. After I was done, I dried off a little and wrapped the towel around my waist.

I walked back into my room and Kate was sitting up staring at nothing in particular. I went over to my drawers and grabbed a pair of boxers and a Green Day t-shirt. Then, I walked to my closet to retrieve a pair of black skinny jeans.

I changed into my fresh clothes, and Kate watched the whole time, except for when I was putting on my boxers. When I was done, she finally got up and put on the jeans she'd had on the night before. She then pulled her hair into a ponytail and left the room.

When she came back, I was putting on my shoes. I grabbed my phone, and she did the same. She also picked up her purse before we headed to the front door.

Once we were outside, we walked to my car, and as usual, I opened her door before going around and getting in myself. I started it up, and after a few seconds, I drove off. There was a random Mayday Parade song playing softly in the background, as I drove, and Kate hummed along to it.

"Do you want to come with me, or do you want to go home?" I asked breaking the silence.

"You can drop me off at my house," she answered. She was staring out of the window watching all of the scenery that we passed by. I drove to her house, and after about five minutes, we arrived. She got out and shut the door, and continued my journey to band practice.  
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Kate's POV

After Luke pulled away, I unlocked my front door, stepping into my house. I headed for my room, so I could freshen up.

When I walked in, I went to my closet and picked out something new to wear. I decided on some light purple jeans, a floral crop top, and a pair of white Keds.

I left for the bathroom so I could shower, and do my hair. I'd already brushed my teeth at Luke's house. Once I got into the bathroom, I flicked on the lights and started the shower. As soon as it was hot, I stepped out of my clothes and hopped in.

I sighed when I felt the hot water beat against my back. It was relaxing. I washed my hair with the strawberry scented shampoo I'd recently purchased at Bath and Body Works. After my hair was washed, I bathed and rinsed it off.

I turned off the water to the shower, and I got out. I grabbed a towel, and I wrapped it around myself before exiting the bathroom and returning to my bedroom. 

When I entered, I walked to my dresser so I could put on a bra and some underwear. I then went over to my vanity to brush my hair, and I also put in some moisturizer, just to prevent frizz.

I got dressed into the outfit I picked out before I went to shower, and I put my hair into a side braid. It accented the look quite nicely. I shut off the lights and left my room to go downstairs and find food.  
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Luke's POV

I pulled into the driveway of Michael's house, and I turned my car off. When I got out, I walked around to the small house-like building in his backyard. I walked in, and I saw Ashton sitting on a stool typing away on his phone. Michael was tuning a guitar, and Calum was sitting in a chair in the corner with earplugs in.

Michael noticed me first.

"Hi, Luke!" He called. Calum's head shot up, and he sent me a smile. I waved in return.

"Luke! You made it!" Ashton said. He was smiling widely, and I just nodded my head.

"Yeah, sorry. The last practice was just a spaz on my part. It won't happen again," I replied. Ashton nodded, and Michael stood up, taking his place behind a mic.

"Are we going to start this or what?" He asked. We all stood up and took our places behind our respective instruments.  
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The first song we sang was one of my favorites, Out Of My Limit. I started.

Back in high school, we used to take it slow

Calum added.

Red lipstick on and high heel stilettos

It was back to me.

Had a job downtown working the servo

Calum sang.

Had me waiting in line, couldn't even let go

Michael joined in for a perfect harmonization.

Cos' I never want to be that guy, who doesn't even get a taste

No more having to chase, to win that prize

Everyone pitched in.

You're just a little bit out of my limit

It's been two years now, haven't even seen the best of me

And in my mind now, I've been over this a thousand times

And it's almost over

Let's start over  
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We played four more songs after that, Beside You, Try Hard, Gotta Get Out, and our cover of I Miss You. When we were finished practicing, we all just sat around and did nothing.

Calum was back to listening to music on his phone. Ashton was playing some random game on his phone, and Michael was sitting on a stool staring at the wall. He suddenly got up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Ashton and Calum looked up.

"I'm bored, so I'm going in the house to play some video games," he answered turning on his heels. He walked out, and Ashton stood up in a rush, following him.

"Where are you going?" I questioned. Everyone was leaving all of a sudden, and I didn't want to be alone.

"I'm hungry, so I'm going to find food. Basically, I'm going to go raid Michael's fridge," he said chuckling. He left, and I was about to follow him, but Calum stopped me.

"Luke?" He called. I turned around, and when I met his eyes, he spoke again. "Can I talk to you?" He asked.

"Sure," I said. I sat on the couch across from Calum, and he let out a sharp breath. "What's up? What's this about?"

"Kate," he confessed, and I stiffened. Why the hell would he want to talk to me about Kate?

"Okay..." I dragged on, rushing him into saying whatever it was that he was trying to.

"I'm not keeping your secret any more," he said flat out. He stared straight ahead at me, and my eyebrows knitted together.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. I looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with him any longer.

"I mean, if you don't tell Kate soon, I will. I'm not keeping your secret anymore. It's not fair that I have to lie to her, and it's also not fair that she doesn't get to know how you really feel about her," he spat. I looked back up at him, and he was glaring at me.

"What the fuck? You can't do that!" I shouted. Who did he think he was? This was none of his business, and he was in no place to tell her about the feelings that I had for her.

"Yeah, I can. I'm in this mess too, you know. I'm lying to her, and I don't want to anymore," he stated. He rolled his eyes and pressed his back against the back of the couch.

"I already told you that it's complicated. Just stay out of it, Calum," I growled.

"How the hell do you expect me to stay out of it when you're the one who brought me into it in the first place?!" He shouted, standing up. His jaw tensed, and his hands were balled up at his sides.

"All you have to do is make sure she doesn't find out before I can tell her myself! This is really important to me, and you know that!" I yelled. Calum flinched, and I stood up. I started pacing around the room before he spoke up again.

"I'm not doing that! What about that do you not understand? I'm not going to keep hiding your secret because if it was that important to you, you would have told her after the first time you guys had sex!" He screamed. I marched over to where he was standing, and I stopped when I got in front of him.

"I can't, okay! I can't, and you're not making this any easier for me!" I shouted in his face. He gave me an angry stare. His face was red, and his teeth were clenched together, making his jawline more defined and sharp. If looks could kill, I'd already been dead.

"Can or can't, want to or not, you better tell her before I do," he said calmly, despite his demeanor. It was my turn to get red in the face.

"You know what, Calum? Fuck you!" I screamed, turning around, prepared to storm out of the room. I opened the door, and there stood Ashton reaching for the doorknob so he could come back in.

He had a bag of chips in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He looked up at me, then past me into the room, to look at Calum. A confused expression made its way onto his face, and he dropped our eye contact.

"Um, was I interrupting something?" He asked awkwardly.

"No, I was just leaving. Bye," I said quickly pushing past him. He looked even more confused than before, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get the hell away from Calum.

As I was making my way back to my car, I heard a loud yell coming from the small house.

"Fuck!"

I didn't pay any attention. I just got in my car and drove home. On my way there, I got three calls from Ashton, but I ignored them all. I didn't want to talk to any of them.  
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Kate's POV

I woke up on the couch when I heard the front door open. I jumped up and went to the foyer to see who it was, and when I peeped my head around the corner, my mom and dad were standing there with some luggage in front of them.

"Mom? Dad? You're home early?" I questioned, eyes wide.

My dad nodded. "Yes, we're are, honey." I smiled and leaped into my dad's arms. I buried my head in his chest, and I swear I almost cried. I had missed them so much.

"Please don't leave again," I mumbled into my father's chest. He just chuckled, but I was serious. I never wanted them to go on any more business trips.

"No promises."

When I came up, my mom was staring at my dad and me's exchange. She looked a little tense, so I sent her a warm smile. That made her features soften.

"What'd you do today?" My mom asked. We walked through the hallway and to the kitchen.

"Nothing, really. I just woke up when I heard the door open," I replied. She nodded, then came out with another question.

"You just woke up? What did you do last night?"

"Yeah, it was from a nap though. I woke up this morning at around eleven. Yesterday, the boys and I went into the city. We went to KFC for some dinner, and then we went to a carnival until close to twelve last night," I explained.

"And you came back here last night?" My dad asked raising his eyebrows.

"No, I slept at Luke's, but he brought me back about an hour after we woke up because he had to go to band practice. I could've gone with him, but I wanted to change clothes, so I came back, took a shower, and I came down here to find some food. After I ate, I went to the living room to watch television, but I fell asleep a couple of hours later," I rambled. My parents just nodded along and looked at each other when I was done speaking.

"You guys didn't..." My dad trailed off.

"Dad, no! We aren't even in a relationship," I screamed. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I covered my face.

"Good." He stated proudly. He crossed his arms over his chest, and my mom spoke up.

"I disagree. I think she should lose it to him, David," she argued.

"No! I will not allow that," my dad fought back. Little did he know.

"He's a nice guy, Dave. I'm sure he wouldn't hurt her. We've known the kid for at least ten years," my mom retaliated. This was getting really awkward, so I had to put a stop to it.

"Guys, I'm not having sex with Luke, nor am I going to. This is so weird. Can we just drop the topic and never speak of it again?" I prodded. They didn't have to know that I had already lost my virginity to Luke, so I wasn't going to tell them. My mom would probably be overly excited, and my dad would most likely flip out. I didn't need any of that.

"Fine," my parents huffed at the same time.

"On a better note, would guys like to go out to dinner? It'll be a welcome home on me." I offered.

"Sure," my mom answered. "Dave, grab the keys," she added. We all stood up, and they followed me out of the house and to the car.


	14. Pizza

Kate's POV

I woke up the next day to my alarm. I groaned and got out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. I used the toilet, turned on the shower, brushed my teeth, and I got in when the water was hot.

I didn't wash my hair because I'd done that yesterday. I just bathed before getting out and drying off. After turning off the lights, I walked back to my bedroom to get dressed.

I decided to wear some dark blue skinny jeans and a band-tee that I stole from Luke, and I paired that with some all-black converse. I then went over to my vanity and brushed out my hair.

I left my room to go downstairs for breakfast because the smell of applewood smoked bacon was filling the house, drawing me towards the kitchen. When I got down there, just as I expected, there was food being cooked.

My mom was sitting on the island, and she was doing some work on her tablet. Typical. My dad was at the stove making the bacon I'd smelled all the way from my room.

"Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Mom," I greeted as I fully entered the kitchen. My mom looked up at me and smiled. My dad used a spatula to remove the bacon from the stove, and he turned around.

"Good morning, Kate. How'd you sleep?" My dad asked.

"It was fine, just like every day," I chuckled. He nodded and announced that I could eat because the food was ready. I walked over to the counter to retrieve myself a couple of slices of bacon, and I looked in the fridge for the bagels.

Once I found them, I also took out some cream cheese, and I popped a bagel into the toaster. After it was done warming, I spread my cream cheese on it, and I took a bite. I finished my breakfast in seven minutes tops, and I went back upstairs to do my hair.

Upon arriving at my room, I plugged up my curling wand, and I made sure my hair was dry. Once it felt completely dry, I spritzed it with some heat protectant spray, and I curled a few pieces, just to make it wavy.

After I was done with that, I grabbed a small section at the front of my head and made a small ponytail right on the top. I then unplugged the iron and grabbed my bag, so I could go back downstairs and wait for Calum. I took my phone from my nightstand, and I exited my room.

Just as I got to the bottom of the staircase, my phone went off. I quickly answered when I saw Calum's name flash across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I'm outside."

"Okay, I'm coming out now."

When I got to my front door, I told my parents goodbye, and I left to catch my ride. I approached Calum's car, and he was just staring ahead. I got in and greeted him, as usual.

"Hey, Cal."

"Hi," he replied before adding. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said nonchalantly. He just laughed and drove off.

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About ten minutes later, we arrived at school, and I got out, going into the building and heading straight for my locker. The entire ride was silent and awkward. I was so confused because it had never been like that between me and Calum before.

Luke was already at his locker when I got to mine. His face was shoved in, apparently looking for something, so he didn't notice me right away. I decided to have a little fun.

"Hi, Luke!" I shouted. He jumped, and that caused him to hit his head on the top of his locker.

"Ow!" He yelled in pain. I burst out into laughter, and when I finally calmed down, he was staring at me with a straight face. I smiled at him, but he wouldn't crack.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I pulled him in for a hug, but he was still stiff. He would not budge. I pulled away and placed my hands on his shoulders. Not long after, I placed a kiss on his cheek, and I felt him relax. Bingo.

"I hate you," he said with a small smile playing on his lips.

"I know you love me," I replied playfully. I grabbed the books for my first two classes out of my locker and shut it, just as Luke did.

"I'm glad you know it, baby girl," he shot back also sending me a wink. I felt the blush creeping up my neck, but I rolled my eyes to mask it. He changed the subject quickly by asking me a question.

"Is that my shirt?"

"It sure is, and you're not getting it back," I stated and stuck my tongue out. He just chuckled and shrugged.

"That's fine. You can keep it." He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close. We started walking in the direction of my class, and I got confused.

"Wait, where are you going? Your class is the other way," I asked.

"I'm walking you to your class," he said plainly.

"Why?" You've never done this before," I stated. He just shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm bored I guess."  
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After a few minutes of walking, we finally got to my class. The warning bell sounded, which meant we had approximately three minutes to get to class, so Luke took his arm from around me and gave me a quick goodbye wave. He rushed back down the hall just so he could get to his class, which was on the other side of the school, on time.

I walked in and sat in my usual spot in the back. I was in a corner, but I could see perfectly fine, so I was okay. I took out my notebook, homework, and a pencil so when my teacher came around to check it, it'd be right in his face.

The bell rang, and I took out my phone quickly to text Luke.

Kate  
Did you make it?

Lukey <3  
Yep. I'm all good, but I have to go now. See you, next class? xx

Kate   
Yeah, I'll be there. Bye!

I turned my phone off and shoved it back into my over-the-shoulder purse. Mr. Markley came around, just as expected, to check my calculus homework.

"This looks pretty good, Ms. Bennett," he remarked. I smiled and told him to thank you. He walked off to check the next person's work, and I slouched in my seat, breathing out a sigh of relief.

After Mr. Markley had gone around and checked everyone's homework, he went over to his computer and put in the grades for each of us. When he was done doing that, he went to the board and explained what we'd be learning. I opened my notebook to take notes, and he began the lesson.

"Okay, so, today we're going to start our trigonometry unit," he started. "Trigonometry begins with a right triangle. The size of this triangle is not important. We will be focusing on one particular angle and the ratios between the three sides."  
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Once he finished teaching, he passed out a four-page packet and told us that it was due the next time we came to class. It would've annoyed me that we had to complete all of that work by the next class, but there were about five problems on each page, so I was fine with it.

I started on some of it, and I got to the second page before the bell rang. My next class was English, and it was near the back of the school. I quickly left my Calculus class and headed there, since we only had eight minutes to transition. Luke met me halfway, and he took my books so he could carry them instead.

We walked the rest of the way to English together, and we made it on time with about a minute to spare. We went over to the table we always sat at, and Michael greeted us when we sat down.

"Hi, guys!" He welcomed smiling. I waved and Luke greeted him back.

"Hi, Mikey. Did you finish the homework?" He asked. Michael's eyes went wide, and his face turned into one of panic.

"What homework? We had homework?" he questioned frantically. I laughed, and he pulled a face at me. "I'm serious." He started looking through his folder and books to try and find something that would resemble homework, but he was helplessly failing.

"Michael, chill out. Our homework was to read the first five pages of chapter thirteen in our textbooks. You did that with me after school at your house that same day." I laughed even harder, and our teacher, Mrs. Oliver, glared at me. I stopped immediately and mouthed a 'sorry' towards her, and that made her features soften.

"Don't do that, Luke. I was so scared. You know I can't afford to fail any classes," Michael scolded playfully. Luke shrugged, and I exited the conversation by turning around. The bell rang, and Mrs. Oliver began class.

"I hope you all did your homework," she started. "I'm going to be handing out two worksheets that need to be completed before the class is over. It will be based on the pages you were supposed to read for homework. You will not be allowed to use the book, so if you didn't do your homework like you were supposed to, then you're out of luck."

There were a few groans that erupted throughout the class, most likely from the ones who didn't do their homework. Mrs. Oliver came around and gave each of us two worksheets, just like she said she would. We all immediately got started, and after a few minutes, Luke asked me a question.

"Kate, how does aside correspond with the interaction of a play's audience?"

"Since it's private words that a character speaks to the audience or another character and they aren't supposed to be overheard by other characters, it gives the audience further knowledge about what may happen in the future that the other characters in the play don't know, and it gives a sense of foreshadowing," I explained. He nodded and wrote as I spoke.

"Thanks." He responded.

I kept working, and Michael slid his sheets of paper over to me about ten minutes later.

"Kate, can you check this?" He asked. I picked it up and looked over it. Everything he wrote looked about right, so I nodded towards him. He smiled widely.

"Really? It's all right?" He questioned excitedly. I nodded once more, and he fist-pumped the air. More minutes passed, and I was finally done, and approximately two minutes after me, Luke was had also finished.

Mrs. Oliver came over to our table and looked over each of our sheets, and she complimented us.

"Very nice work, you three," she smiled. "Sit here quietly until the lunch bell rings. You can listen to music, read a book, or do absolutely nothing as long as you don't get loud."

Michael quickly took out his phone and put in some earplugs. Luke did the same, and I took out a book I was supposed to be reading for my literature class.  
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When the lunch bell rang thirty minutes later, we all headed out of class and towards the cafeteria. Michael led by walking in front of us, and Luke and I walked with his arm around my shoulders.

Halfway there, Luke pulled me to the side and into a janitor's closet. He locked the door behind us and turned in the light so it wasn't as dark.

"Luke, what are we doing in a janitor's closet?" I whisper yelled.

"I'm giving you another lesson. You haven't forgotten about those, have you?" He replied simply. My eyebrow scrunched together in confusion.

"What could you possibly teach me in a closet, Luke?" I questioned.

"I'm going to teach you how to be quiet," he revealed, and before I could ask any more questions, his lips were on mine. He slowly backed me into the door, and he swiped his tongue across my bottom lip.

I permitted him to enter by parting my lips, and he gladly accepted it, slipping his tongue in swiftly. This became incredibly deep, and that went on for about two minutes. He gently tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth, and I couldn't help but let out a small moan.

"Kate, you're supposed to be quiet," Luke said in between kisses. He smirked, and I rolled my eyes while smiling. He went back in for the kiss, and it became just as heated as the last one.

After a few more minutes of making out, Luke broke the kiss to work on my neck. I made it a mission to stay quiet and prove to Luke that I could actually do it, and it was hard. He did all of the things he knew could get a sound out of me, and I had to resist the urge.

My outlet was pulling on Luke's hair, and I could tell he was trying to push back some moans of his own when I did that. I suddenly remembered that we were still at school.

"Luke, wait," I stopped him. He looked at me worriedly and waited for me to speak. "Did you leave any marks on me?" I asked.

He shook his head, signaling no, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He spoke up seconds later, though, and I held my breath.

"Well, there is one behind your ear, but it's faint and your hair covers it." He explained, and I nodded. He then turned off the lights and reached for the door. Once he opened it, he poked his head out and looked both ways for any sign of administrators. When he felt like it was clear, he grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"That wasn't too bad, Bennett," he said winking at me. I punched him in the arm   
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We entered the cafeteria, and I spotted Michael, Calum, and Ashton at the table we usually sat at. Luke and I made our way over there, and we took a seat upon arrival. Luke looked up at Calum, and they locked stares for a brief moment before Luke looked away. Calum looked at him from head to toe, and he clenched his teeth. What the hell?

I cleared my throat, and all of the attention focused on me. It was really awkward, so I had to leave.

"Um, I'm going to go get some pizza. Luke, do you want anything back?" I announced. He shook his head, so I walked over to the line for pizza. While I was waiting, I focused my attention back on our table.

I saw Ashton and Michael get up a few seconds later, and they went over to the vending machine. Calum and Luke started talking, but I couldn't watch because it was my turn. I grabbed my pizza and paid for it, before walking back to my table.

On my way back, I saw Calum walking out of the cafeteria. I hurriedly got back to the table, and by the time I got there, Michael and Ashton were back as well.

I put my foot down and took a seat, looking over at Luke afterward. His face was red, and his teeth were clenched. He was looking straight ahead, so I tapped his shoulder. He didn't respond.

"Luke?" I called out softly. He looked at me before turning back around. "Luke, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied sharply, still looking forward.

"Luke, I'm serious. What happened?" I prodded. Michael interjected before Luke could speak.

"Hey, where's Cal?" he asked.

Luke huffed and stood up. "To answer both of your questions, Calum left." With that, he too stormed out of the cafeteria.

"Weird," Ashton interjected. I got up to go follow him, but Ashton stopped me. "Don't. Give him some time to cool off." I sat back down and ate my pizza. The rest of lunch was silent.  
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When the bell rang, I got up and left. I went to my locker to get my books for my last two classes, and as I was grabbing my last notebook, Luke appeared beside me. He opened his locker and started replacing his books as well. The whole time I was standing right next to him, he didn't say a word to me. Once he was finished, he shut the door and walked away, but I called his name before he could get too far.

"Luke!" He spun around on his heels and walked back over to me.

"What?" he spat. I flinched, but he didn't seem phased by it.

"What happened back there? Why did Calum leave?" I asked. He rolled his eyes before speaking.

"I already told you. Nothing happens, and I don't know why Calum left. The guy's got some serious issues."

"That can't be true. Did you say something to him?" The warning bell sounded, and Luke got all fidgety. I wasn't done though.

"No, okay? I have to go to class, or I'm going to be late. Bye," he rushed. He turned back around and walked away. I was so confused, but I decided to disregard the sudden attitude he had towards me and focus on being on time for my class. Luckily, I took my next class, which was engineering, with Calum.

I walked in, and as soon as I sat down, the bell rang. We were currently working on a soap-box derby car project, and Calum was my partner. I waved at him when I got situated, and surprisingly, he waved back. Mrs. Ruggs, our teacher, cleared her throat before she gave us instructions for the class period.

"Good afternoon class. Today, you will continue to work on your soap-box derby cars, and you will have the whole period to do so. Remember, they are due in two weeks, and that's five class periods from now. They have to be decorated, and you have to have a ramp and track for them because on that day they're due, we will race on each track. Make sure to apply the things you've learned in this class so you can have a successful car, track, and ramp. You will be graded accordingly. You should at least have the body of the car built by this point. Don't get behind students. You may go retrieve your projects now." She turned around and started writing something on the board behind her.

I got up at the same time Calum did so I could go get our project.

"No, you stay. I'll go get it," he said. I sat back down and got out a sheet of paper to start the design of the car. When Calum and I started this project, we agreed that I'd do the math to make sure the car would work and decorate, and he'd build it. It was a pretty fair trade, so I accepted.

He came back minutes later with our car and some more supplies to keep building, and he sat it all on the table. I, in turn, got out my notes and scratch sheet. I handed it to Calum, and he got to work. We had gotten the body of the car done, and the wheels were put on the axes. We were ahead of the schedule our teacher put us on, so we weren't really stressed out about finishing on time or not.

I drew out a design that fits both of our personalities, and I got up to go get paint and paintbrushes. When I returned, Calum had gotten the wheels on the car successfully, and he was sitting down on his stool. I put the supplies I'd gathered down on the table before I spoke.

"What happened?" I asked suddenly. I turned to look at him, and his eyebrows knitted together.

"What are you talking about?" he retorted.

"What happened between you and Luke at lunch, Calum?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just done with his shit," he replied shrugging. It was my turned to be confused.

"Why would you be done with his shit? What shit? Aren't you guys supposed to be best friends? What's going on?" I bombarded. He stared at me with a straight face, and he spoke up seconds later.

"You'll have to go ask your boyfriend about that one, Katie," he said smirking. My eyes widened. I didn't know what he was talking about, and I didn't think I wanted to.

"What? You know Luke and I aren't dating. What did he say to you?" I tapped on my jeans with my fingernails out of nervousness as I awaited his answer.

"Well..." he started. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the bell cut him off. He quickly stood up and grabbed his things before heading towards the door.

"Wait!" I called after him. He turned around.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go," he said. He turned back around and exited the class seconds later, leaving me confused and having to clean up our mess.


	15. Trail

Kate's POV

Once I finished cleaning up Calum and I's mess, I grabbed my stuff and headed for my fourth block.

I considered what just happened as a failed mission. I got absolutely nothing accomplished, and I didn't get any information out of Calum. On my way to my next class, which I shared with Ashton, I saw Luke walking towards me.

Since he acted completely dismissive towards me earlier, I chose to ignore him. Instead, I took interest in a cute guy that was staring at me from across the hall. I walked over to him. As soon as I got over to him, he smiled and greeted me.

"Hey, I'm Evan. I don't believe I've seen you around before. Have I?" He held out his hand, and I took it in my own. He was tall but not as tall as any of my friends. He had curly, sandy brown hair, spring green eyes, and some sort of in-between tan and pale skin.

His hair was covering his forehead, and some of it fell in his eyes, so he used his hand to sweep it back.

"No, I don't believe so. I'm Kate, by the way. Nice to meet you, Evan," I replied smiling. My hand was still in his, and he gave it a light shake.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I just wanted to point out that you're very pretty." He smiled, and I blushed. He had a cute smile.

"Thanks. I could say the same about yourself." Right as I was about to say more to compliment him, I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a headrest on my shoulder. I turned around and found that person to be Luke. By this point, I was thoroughly confused.

I turned back around to face Evan, and I saw that he too was a bit conflicted about what to say. Luke broke the awkward silence first.

"Hey, I'm Luke," he said. He reached his hand out and Evan politely took it, giving Luke a firm handshake.

"I'm Evan, and you are?"

"Oh, He's just-" I interjected, but apparently I was too slow.

"I'm her boyfriend." Luke stated cutting me off. The warning bell sounded, and Evan excused himself.

"I love to stay and chat with you guys, but I better not be late to class." He walked past us, and I turned around to face Luke.

"What the hell was that, Luke?" I yelled at him. He flinched, and I felt bad for some reason.

"What was what?"

"Why did you tell him that we were dating? You know that's not true, and you also know what would happen if you actually liked me," I explained. His lips turning into a frown, and when didn't give me a reasonable explanation, I walked off.  
.  
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The bell rang as soon as I stepped into my classroom, and I took my spot next to Ashton.

"Hello, Katherine. What a fine afternoon we're having, aren't we," Ashton greeted. I just sighed in response. "What's wrong?"

"Luke is what's wrong," I replied.

"Why?"

"I saw a cute guy in the hallway, and he completely ruined my chances with him! Who even does that?" I shouted. Some people turned around in their chairs to look at me, and I slumped down in my seat.

"Oh, wow. I-I don't what to say. Maybe Calum knows why he's doing this." Ashton shrugged. I huffed, he looked at me with a confused expression. "What now?"

"Calum won't tell me anything, so how am I supposed to get answers?" I crossed my arms over my chest, and again, I huffed. This was beyond frustrating, and all I wanted to do was get to the bottom of everything.

"I don't know, Kate. I'm sorry," Ashton replied. He was frowning, and that made me feel even worse about this.

"You don't have to apologize, Ash. It's not your fault," I remarked. He smiled, and that caused me to smile as well.

"Aw, bring it in!" Ashton exclaimed, grinning widely. He opened his arms, and I gladly leaned into him. He wrapped me up in a tight embrace, and nothing felt better at the moment.

"Everything's going to be okay soon, Kate. Don't worry," he soothed. The teacher walked into the room moments later, and we began class.

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When school was over, I headed outside so I could make my way to my house. I didn't want a ride from Calum because he was being super weird, and I didn't want a ride from Luke because I was angry with him.

Since Ashton walked out with me, he offered me a ride home, and I appreciatively accepted it. We both got in the car and buckled our seat belts, and within two minutes, Ashton had pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive to my house was pretty silent, except for the Green Day disk playing in the background. I couldn't take the silence any longer because it allowed me way too much time to think. I was afraid that my thoughts were going to eat me alive.

"Why do you think Calum and Luke are acting this way?" I asked him. Even with his eyes focusing on the road, I could see his eyebrows scrunch together.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess, I think they're fighting about you," he explained calmly. I turned to look at him, and he took a quick glance at me.

"Why would you think that?" I questioned quizzically. He shrugged.

"In all honesty, I don't know. There's a high possibility that it's about you though. Neither of them has ever acted this way about anything before, so the only thing I can do is guess," he responded. I didn't know what to think, so I decided to just not think for the time being. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

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When we finally arrived at my house, I thanked Ashton for the ride, and I got out of his car and headed towards my front door. I retrieved my key so I could get into my house, and when I stepped in, I felt a wave of thoughts come over me.

Why would Calum and Luke act like this? Luke knew we weren't in a relationship. Why would he ruin my chances with someone I could potentially take an interest in? I had so many questions, and not one of them had a valid answer.

I walked to my room and fell on my bed. I started to think more. Did Luke actually like me? Was he trying to protect me? What would he need to protect me from? I still had no answers. I was just left in a pool of thoughts, and I didn't know what to do about it.

I got up from my laying position on the bed and left my room. I went downstairs to find a snack and watch some television. I thought it would act pretty decently in trying to take my mind off of everything. Once I found a good snack, I made my way to my ever so comfy couch, and I plopped myself down.

I grabbed the remote and flicked through some random channels before I landed on the movie Marley and Me. I ate my snack and watched intently, and before I knew it, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

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I woke up to my phone buzzing on the seat beside me. I rolled over with a groan to see who was trying to contact me. I opened my phone to find three texts from Ashton.

**Ash x**   
_I have a solution to all of your problems, Kate!_

**Ash x**   
_meet me at the park in twenty minutes_

**Ash x**   
_don't be late. this will be really fun! x_

I sent him a quick response to let him know that I was on my way.

**Kate**   
_I'll be there! I really hope whatever you're talking about works, Ash._

He texted me back a few seconds later.

**Ash x**   
_it will! don't worry... ;-)_

I got up quickly and rushed up the stairs and into my room. I took my hair down from the style I wore to school, and I brushed it back up and put it in a ponytail.

I took off Luke's shirt and replaced it with one of my own. I also put on a light sweatshirt, and I switched my pair of converse out for some running shoes.

I then headed back downstairs to get a bottle of water, and I went into the living area to retrieve my cell phone. I walked to the front door and grabbed the keys before heading out.

It took a good ten minutes to walk to the park that Ashton was talking about from my house. When I got there, I saw the curly-haired boy sitting quietly on a bench. I walked over, and he noticed me right away. He stood up and welcomed me with a hug, and I smiled.

"Hey Ash," I said once I came up from the embrace.

"Hey. Are you ready?" He asked, and my eyebrows knitted together.

"Ready for what?" I responded. He never actually told me what we were going to be doing. He only told me that he had a solution to all of my problems.

"We're going to take a walk on the trail around the park, and we're going to talk everything out," he explained. I nodded in understanding, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. "Let's get going."

We began our walk around the trail, and I started our sentimental talk by asking the first question.

"You know how you said that you think Luke and Calum's fight is about me?" I started. He nodded, encouraging me to continue. "I know you already told me why, but why would Calum have anything to do with this?" I questioned. He shrugged, not having a solid answer, but he opened his mouth to speak anyway.

"Maybe, Luke told Calum a secret, and they know something that we all don't. Calum probably wants to tell us now, but Luke doesn't want him to or won't let him. Maybe, there's something going on, and we just don't know anything about it. Calum and Luke always argue every time they're near each other, and they've never done that before. If what I just said isn't the case, then I don't know what's going on," Ashton explained.

"That's ridiculous," I laughed. "How is that even possible. Luke tells me everything, even if it's really stupid. What could he have to hide? I don't get it," I rambled. Ashton just chuckled, which made me more confused than before. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Calm down. I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the idea of this whole thing. Maybe, this is something Luke can't tell you, or maybe, he wants to but he can't find the words. You of all people know how bad Luke is with words," he replied. I nodded along, and by this time, we were halfway around the trail.

We walked a few minutes in silence before Ashton spoke again.

"How do you feel about Luke?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked quizzically. I knew though. I just didn't have an answer.

"Let me rephrase. Do you have feelings for Luke?" He questioned. Ashton turned his head towards me, and he raised an eyebrow. We stopped walking. "Katherine, don't lie to me. It's okay if you do." He pulled me into another hug.

"Ash, I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I do, and other times I feel like we should just be best friends like always, nothing more," I confessed. He nodded along, and we started our walk again.

"What do you feel like most of the time?" He asked lightly. I walked with my head down. It felt good to let this all out, but I also knew the consequences that followed. Luke and I would have to stop the lessons, and we would have to stop being friends. I didn't want that. He couldn't know, but I could tell Ashton.

"I don't- I guess I just want to kiss him most of the time. I want to cuddle with him and watch movies all day. I want to hold his hand without the fear of anyone taking it the wrong way because we would be in a relationship. I want to stay up in the middle of the night and talk about absolutely nothing, but it would be fun because we would have each other's happiness and laughter to feed off of. I just don't want to ruin our friendship," I sighed.

"Why would that ruin your friendship?" He asked. "People who are in relationships are best friends anyway. They're just best friends who love each other unconditionally, and they have added benefits. They can kiss, hold hands, take showers together, have sex, and all of that jazz. They can do all of that stuff, and no one could tell them otherwise because, as you said, they'd be in a relationship. If you wanted to pursue something like that with Luke, we're all here to support you guys," he stated. I continued to look down, and I twiddled my fingers out of nervousness.

"I can't Ashton. It's really complicated," I said.

"How is it complicated?"

"I-I don't know," I confessed. He sighed, and I felt ashamed. No one knew about Luke and I's agreement with the lessons. The only one who was even close to knowing was Calum, and he only knew about the first time we had sex.

"Do you love him?" Ashton asked, breaking me out of my own thoughts.

"Of course I do. He's my best friend," I said giggling. I had been trying to avoid this question that had been running through my mind since that second time Luke and I had sex. I didn't have an answer, so I just pushed it to the back of my brain.

"No, Kate. Do you _love_ him? Do you think you might be in love with him?" He explained.

"I don't know," I responded. I truly felt pathetic. How could someone just not know if they were in love with another person?

Maybe, that little fling I had with Thomas screwed up my image of love. I was so sure that it was him, but he ruined it. I was naïve and stupid, and I can't blame that factor on anyone but myself.

The truth was: I really didn't know. How would you know? How could you tell? What would you feel like inside?

"How do you not know whether you're in love with someone or not?" Ashton asked. By this time, we were back where we started. I followed Ashton to the bench we were sitting on before we started our walk.

He was right, it did sort of help me figure some things out. It helped me get some things off of my chest, but I knew there was still a long way to go.

"Ash, again, I don't know. I don't know what it feels like, so how can I tell?"

Ashton stayed quiet for a bit, probably trying to think of a way to explain it to me. I was pretty sure Ashton had never been in love, but I was positive that he'd come fairly close to it before.

"Are you still a virgin?" He asked suddenly. I paused, wondering if I should tell the truth or not.

"No, I'm not," I said. His head shot up, and his eyes fixed on mine.

"Are you joking?"

"No, I'm serious." I averted my eyes because his stare was becoming too intense. I already didn't feel that great about myself, and I felt like Ashton was judging me, even though I knew he would never.

"When did you give it up? Who did you give it to?" He quizzed me. I slouched in my seat.

"I lost it a few weeks ago, and I-" I started before Ashton cut me off.

"You better not have given it to that Thomas kid." He said sternly, but I shook my head and opened my mouth to continue.

"I didn't give it to Thomas," I stated. "I gave it to Luke." Ashton's eyes widen, and he seemed to be speechless.

"What?"

"I lost my virginity to Lu-" Just as I was about to repeat my previous statement, I saw Luke walking across the grass of the park. His hands were jammed into his pockets, and his head was hung low. He had in some earplugs, and he was just walking, not really even paying attention to where he was going.

I was still angry at him for what he did earlier, and I wasn't ready to speak to him. "Ash, can you take me home? Now?" I said standing up quickly. I turned my head so I wouldn't be recognized as easily.

Ashton stood up as well, and he examined my face. He noticed how frantic I was, and he tried to calm me down.

"Kate, calm down. I can take you home. Let's go," he said softly. My ears were red, and the color was starting to transfer to the rest of my face. It started to feel hotter than normal, and my palms started to sweat.

I grabbed Ashton's wrist, and I pulled him as far as I could without getting noticed, but it was too late. Luke had already seen me.

"Kate, wait!" He called. I tried to walk faster just to avoid him, but that didn't work either. He jogged over to where Ashton and I were standing, and he took the plugs from his ears and put them in his pocket.

He smiled at me, but I kept a straight face. Moments later, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Luke, let me go! I don't want to talk to you!" I protested. He just squeezed me tighter. "Luke, I'm serious!" That made him let me go. I folded my arms across my chest, and he frowned.

"Why don't you want to talk to me?" He questioned.

"You know what you did," I said glaring at him.

"I honestly don't. Care to fill me in?" He challenged. He was making me angrier by the second, and if I didn't let it go soon, I feared I was going to explode.

"You told Evan that we were dating! You ruined my chances with him, and you knew what you were doing! You hadn't properly spoken to me all afternoon, but as soon as you see me with another guy, you act as nothing happened!" I yelled. He just stood there, a blank expression covering his face.

"I was trying to protect you," he said.

"Protect me from what?" I continued to shout at him.

"E-Evan, he isn't a good guy, Kate. Trust me. I was only doing you a favor," he coughed out.

"How do you know that? Do you know him or something?"

"N-No, I'm sorry," he confessed softly. His gaze shifted past me.

"You're so-I can't believe you would do something like that to me, especially after what Thomas did!" I screamed. His head dropped, and he started shuffling his feet.

"I was only trying to protect you. I didn't want another situation like what happened with Thomas. Please believe that I was doing it for your own good." he said lowly. I rolled my eyes. He couldn't be serious.

"You didn't know what was going to happen, but you ruined it anyway," I turned away from him.

"Kate, please just hear me out. I-" he started.

"No, Luke. You really messed up big time, and I-I just need some space," I said cutting him off. "Ashton, will you please take me home?" I turned to Ashton and asked. He nodded and motioned me to follow him before we walked away.

Luke just stood there, a frown etched into his face. All I wanted to do was make it go away, but my anger and stubbornness prevented me from jumping out of Ashton's car and running back to Luke so I could kiss his frown away.


	16. Ping Pong Table

Kate's POV

As soon as I got home from the park, I went straight to my room. My parents were in the living area watching a movie, and they invited me, but I politely declined.

I didn't know what I'd just done, and with every second that went by, I regretted what I said to Luke. I didn't want space. I craved his touch, but he was probably going to respect what I said and leave me alone for a while.

I switched out my clothes for some pajamas, which basically only contained a pair of shorts and a loose-fitting shirt. I walked across my room to the drawer where I kept Luke's random clothing articles, and I took one of his shirts out.

I hadn't washed that particular one, so it still smelled like him. I slipped it on, and I trudged back over to my bed. I flopped onto it and pulled a blanket over me. I fell into a light sleep, my thoughts preventing it from pulling me all the way under.  
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 **Friday**

I woke up to my annoying alarm and got ready for school. The day was just like normal, except for Luke was being pretty distant, and he didn't really say much at all. He only spoke when he was spoken to, and he never even smiled.

He looked thinner than he ever had before, his hair was messy, and he wore sweat pants to school for the rest of the week. He also had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like life had been sucked out of him.

That happened every day that week, but on Friday, he seemed noticeably happier. He came to lunch with a smile on his face, and he left with one. Calum even looked to be in a better mood. It was weird.

In between classes, I would see him walking through the halls with this girl. She was really pretty too. She had blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and the perfect tan. She was short, but she wasn't as short as I was.

Every time she would say something, he would smile or laugh, and that faintly tugged at my heart. I tried to ignore it, but it wasn't really working. I decided to focus on my classes instead. I put all of my efforts into not thinking about Luke with that girl, but by my final class, I let all of my worries out to Ashton.

Luckily, Ashton was there to send me some motivational words, and they made me feel a little better. Our teacher, Mrs. Valcin, gave us a free day, so Ashton and I spent the whole block talking about it.

"So, what did she look like?" He asked. I described her to him, and he nodded along. "Hey, that's how I'd describe you," he announced. My eyebrows scrunched together.

"Really?"

"Yeah, if she looks like you described her, that's just like you. If I'm being honest, I think he's trying to fill a void," Ashton deemed. I didn't know exactly what he meant, so I asked him to explain. "Since you told him to give you some space on Monday, he'd been down ever since until today. All of a sudden he sees this girl, and she looks just like you. You make him happy, so she automatically makes him happy, just by the way she looks. He doesn't really have to know her either. He used her to fill a void you left in his heart, Kate."

"Why would he have a void in his heart? We're just friends," I said.

"Well, when you have a best friend, they usually have a special place in your heart. When something happens, or if you guys fight, it leaves both with a metaphorical hole in their hearts, and that hole can only be filled by that person. It's the same with love, I guess. In Luke's case, though, he's filling his hole with a Kate look-alike," Ashton explained.

"Why would he do that?" I questioned, still a little confused.

"He doesn't know any better. He's never been as crazy about someone as he's been about you."

We sat in silence for a moment. I was just trying to take it all in, and Ashton was probably trying to find a way to explain some other things to me.

"Back to what we were talking about the other day, you lost your virginity to Luke?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"And, that's the only time you've ever had sex?"

"Nope," I confessed. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

"Wait, what? How many times have you...you know?"

"Ashton!" I exclaimed. His hands rose up in surrender, but I decided that I was going to answer anyway. "I've had sex twice. If you were wondering, both times were with Luke," I said shying away. My cheeks started to warm up, but thankfully, Ashton didn't really notice.

"Why?"

"The first time, I asked him, and the second time...it just sort of happened," I explained.

"How did it sort of happen?"

"I don't know. It was just in the moment I guess."

"Wait, was that the night before Luke missed band practice?" Ashton asked. He sat straight up in his chair, and I nodded. "Kate!" He scolded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you guys were going to have band practice the next day," I said defending myself.

"It's fine," he responded chuckling. The bell rang, and we both stood up so we could exit the classroom. "Would you like a ride home?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Ash," I said. We walked out of the classroom, down the hallways, and outside. Once we got to his car, we opened our doors and got it, driving off a few minutes later.

Halfway to my house, Ashton invited me to a party, and he told me that he'd be back later to get me. He also mentions that Luke would be there. I agreed because parties were kind of fun, and I didn't really care if Luke would be there or not.

When we got to my house, I thanked Ashton for the ride, and I unlocked my door and entered my house. I was greeted by my mom.

"Welcome home, Kate. How was school today?"

"It was fine. Ashton gave me a ride home. Also, he invited me to a party later tonight. Can I go?" I elaborated.

"Sure, why not? Your dad and I are going to dinner tonight, so it's only fair. Have fun!" She returned. I smiled and made my way up the stairs and to my room.

I decided to take a nap so I would have some energy for the upcoming party. I laid down on my bed and let sleep slowly overtake me.  
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When I woke up, I went to the bathroom to make myself look more presentable. I brushed my teeth and my hair. I reapplied my mascara, and by that time, Ashton called to tell me that he was waiting outside.

I went back into my room, and I took my phone off the charger. I grabbed a small over-the-shoulder purse, and I put it in there. I also got a light cardigan out of my closet before heading downstairs and out of my front door.

Ashton greeted me when I say down, and we drove to the location of the party. Once we got there, I followed Ashton to the kitchen area. He grabbed both of us a red cup and put a random drink in it. He passed one to me, and I gladly accepted it.

He led me to a room with couches and a ping pong table, and we both sat down. I took small sips of my drink now and then, trying to savor it, as I do at every party I attend. We sat doing nothing for a while before Ashton stood up.

"I just heard that Michael and Calum are here. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here?" He asked over the loud music that was playing. I thought about it for a second before answering.

"I'm fine here."

"Okay, bye. Call me if you need anything," he said. He walked off, and I took another sip of my drink. The music died down, and all of a sudden, a slow started playing.

I jumped up from my seat to go find Luke. It was always our tradition to slow dance at parties. If we weren't with each other already, we would go find each other. Even if I was mad at him, I didn't think it would hurt to slow dance and keep the cycle going.

I scurried to the dance floor and pushed past some bodies until I saw him. He wasn't alone. He was with the girl I'd seen him with at school earlier. Her head was on his shoulder, and they were rocking from side to side. I felt the air get thick.

I turned around and ran. I had to get out of there before I broke down. I went into the kitchen and grabbed an empty cup, and I filled it with some vodka. I chugged it down and refilled it, chugging the second glass down as well. I refilled it once more, but I didn't drink it right away.

I started to feel dizzy, so I gripped onto the counter for support. Once the room stopped spinning, I let go of the counter and walked towards the dance floor again. I didn't notice that I was crying until I felt a tear hit the top of my lip. I lowered my head, gripping my cup tightly.

Right as I was about to enter the room the dance floor was located in, I bumped into someone. My drink spilled all over my top, and I felt like crying more.

"Shit, sorry," I mumbled.

"No worries, beautiful," the voice assured. He tilted my chin up and examined my face. I didn't recognize his face, and that was partly the alcohol and partly my tears blurring my vision. "Are you crying? Why are you crying?" He asked. I frantically wiped the tears from my eyes and face.

"I'm fine," I said not so confidently. He looked down at my shirt and noticed the mess I made. He grabbed my hand.

"Come on. Let's go and get you cleaned up," he announced before I could ask any questions. He leads me up some stairs and into a room. In that room was a door that led to a bathroom. "Sit," he instructed.

I took a seat on the counter next to the sink, and he grabbed a towel from a cupboard. He left for a second, and when he returned, he had a plain black shirt in his hands. He passed me the shirt and told me to take off mine and replace it with the one he gave me.

I did as I was told, and took the shirt from me, and turned on the sink faucet. He put the towel under to water to wet it, and he dabbed my shirt with the wet cloth. Once he was done, he turned off the sink and got a fresh towel.

He tilted my chin up for the second time that night, and I still didn't recognize him. Although, he looked like someone I knew.

"Don't cry, beautiful. You're too pretty to cry," he soothed. He used the fresh towel to wipe my tears. I don't know what made me, but within the split second, my lips were attached to his.

I don't know what made me, but I couldn't stop. I didn't know if it was the fact that I saw Luke with that girl or the fact that I haven't had this in a while. Soon, the kiss was deepened, and our bodies were pressed against each other. He picked me up, and we headed towards the bed. We never broke the kiss.  
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Luke's POV

After the slow song ended, Caitlyn and I went to another room so we could sit. We decided on a room with a ping pong table and several couches. We sat on one of the couches closer to the door of the room. She snuggled her head into my shoulder, and I relaxed.

I knew that I was using her in place of Kate, but I couldn't help it. I missed Kate, and Caitlyn looked just like her. She was kind of mean though. Kate was nice and forgiving, which is why I wanted to give her the space she asked for.

I loved Kate, and I was in love with her. I wasn't ashamed to admit it to myself anymore. That's why I never kissed Caitlyn. I physically couldn't, but she was there when Kate wasn't.

When Kate told me she wanted space, I broke down. I didn't know what I was going to. I couldn't sleep, and I no longer had the urge to eat. My skin became pale because I didn't go outside, and I'd gotten thinner over the course of three days. My life was a wreck, to say the least.

I met Caitlyn on my way home on Thursday afternoon, and she was rude, but she looked just like Kate, so I could help but to keep talking to her. She let me take her to dinner, and I started to not look like a zombie.

I brought her to the party because I had no one else to go with. When that slow song came on, I was prodded to go find Kate, but I didn't know if she wanted to see me, so I didn't. Instead, I slow dance with Caitlyn, and it was very awkward.

She rested her head on my chest, and it just didn't feel right, but I held her anyway.

We were sitting on the couch, comfortably watching some people play beer pong, and I had to use the bathroom, so I stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," I announced. She nodded, and I left the room filled with drunken people. I hadn't had a drink that entire night, and that surprised me. I guess I just wasn't in the mood.

I didn't know my way around the house the party was being held in, but I assumed the bathroom would be upstairs. I headed that way, and I opened every door I saw. Neither of them were in the bathroom. The next-door I opened gave me the shock of a lifetime.

If I were drunk, I could easily be mistaking the picture in front of me, but I wasn't. I stood frozen in the doorway, not believing my eyes. The two people making out on the bed were topless.

Katherine was one of them, and when the guy turned around, I saw that it was Thomas.


	17. Catch 22

Katherine was one of them, and when the guy turned around, I saw that it was Thomas.  
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Luke's POV

I felt all of the air being sucked out of my lungs. I stood frozen in the doorway, and it was long before Kate realized I was standing there. We made direct eye contact.

I felt my heart being ripped in two, and I knew I had to leave. I turned around and ran down the hall, moving myself just as fast down the stairs. I bumped into some people on my way out of the house.

"Hey, man! Watch where you're going!" they yelled. I didn't care.

I saw Calum, Michael, and Ashton on my way out, and they followed me outside to my car. They wouldn't let me get in.

"Luke, what the hell?" Michael said as soon as he noticed my face.

"Dude, what's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Ashton added.

"Luke, seriously," Calum said in a stern tone.

"I-Kate. Thomas. Bed. Upstairs. I can't breathe," I managed to get out. Calum and Ashton's face twisted.

"What?" they said simultaneously.

"I just saw them in a bed upstairs making out. I-I can't breathe," I explained. I didn't know I was crying until Michael pointed it out.

"Luke, you're crying. Why are you crying?"

"I-My heart is breaking," I cried. "You guys, I can't breathe." My chest felt like it was closing in on itself. I felt like I was suffocating, even though the air outside was pretty fresh.

I bent over and put my hands on my knees, no longer having the strength to stand up straight. I choked out some sobs, before I fell over, my vision going up in all black.  
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Kate's POV

We made out on the bed for a while, and I was assuming it was his. I didn't really want to have sex with him, but somehow, we were both out of our tops. His lips felt strange.

A jingling on the door made me stop in my tracks, but the mystery guy didn't. His lips went down to my neck, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. The door swung open, and my eyes met with Luke's.

He stood frozen in the doorway, and I desperately wanted to say something, but he turned and ran. I sat up quickly, and I tried to get off the bed.

"What're you doing? Where are you going?" the guy asked. He was seriously clueless. It was almost hilarious.

"I'm going after him," I said in a clipped tone.

"Why?"

"Because, I-it's none of your business," I said looking him straight in the eyes. Those eyes. They could only belong to one person I knew. Thomas.

"Thomas?" I couldn't believe I didn't recognize him before. I'm such an idiot.

"That's right, beautiful. It took you long enough," he said in menacingly. I glared at him.

"Why would you do something like this?" I questioned, eyes full of regret. I felt so bad, and I ultimately felt like a failure.

"You were vulnerable, and I was horny. Perfect mix right?" He explained smirking. He was making me angry.

"No!" I screaming grabbing my own shirt, not the black one he gave me. "You're sick!" I shouted, and I sealed it with a hard slap in the face.

He grabbed his cheek, which was turning redder by the second, and I walked out after quickly putting my shirt on.

I hurriedly raced down the hall and stairs, and I searched all around for Luke, but everywhere I looked I couldn't find him. I couldn't find any of the other boys either.

I went back to the room Ashton and I was in at the beginning of the night in hopes that I would find one of them. I still had no luck. Instead, I saw that girl Luke had been hanging out with. I walked over to her because I expected her to know more than I did.

"Hi, I'm Kate. Have you seen Luke?" I asked. Her eyebrows knitted together.

"He left about twenty minutes ago because he had to use the bathroom. I haven't seen him since," she explained, and I felt like I could cry.

"Are you sure?" I asked trying to confirm the information that I'd been given. She nodded.

"Yes, why? What happened?" she questioned panicking.

"He walked in on me and this guy, and I can't find him?" I confessed.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" she yelled. I flinched at her sudden tone. She stood up quickly and I followed her. I got scared, and my breathing started to become heavy.

We walked throughout the house and to the front door. There I saw Ashton, Calum, and Michael. They were crowded around something. Someone. Oh no.

I ran over to their huddle, and the girl followed me. I broke through Calum and Ashton to see Luke laying on the ground, out cold. I started to cry.

"What happened?" I asked the group frantically.

"We have to get him to the hospital," Michael said not taking his eyes off of the blond boy laying on the ground.

"Why did he faint?"

"He said he couldn't breathe, and he was crying, and he just blacked out," Michael answered with a frown.

"Do you guys know about-" I started.

"Yeah, we know. Luke told us," Calum cut me off, his tone sharp.

"Guys, let's not focus on ourselves. We need to get Luke to the hospital. We've been standing around for five minutes while our best friend is lying on the ground, passed out," Ashton chimed in. They all nodded. Then, Calum and Michael got closer to help Ashton lift him.

I ran to Ashton's car and opened the back door when he unlocked it. The boys lightly placed him in, shutting the door softly.

"Kate, you're riding with me. Calum, you take Michael and--What's your name?" He instructed before turning to the girl. I envied her for some reason, but she wasn't my focus point at the moment, Luke was.

"I'm Caitlyn. Nice to meet you all," she said smiling. She was beautiful. I hated it.

"Okay, well, Caitlyn, you're going to ride with Calum and Michael." Ashton said finally. She followed them to Calum's car, and Ashton and I got in his.

"That is so weird," I heard Michael say before we all loaded into our respective vehicles. I was pretty sure he was referring to Caitlyn and I look versus our names.

We drove off to the nearest hospital, which was five minutes from the house we were at. Calum was following directly behind us the whole time.

Once we got there, we drove to the emergency section, and I got out to go inside and find some paramedics. My heart was racing the entire time, and I felt like exploding.

I entered the emergency section doors, and I frantically made my way to a counter to get Luke some help.

"Hi, my name is Katherine Bennett, and my friend is outside in the car passed out. I'm not sure how or why, but he needs help," I quickly explained. The man behind the desk then asked me for his basic information. "His name is Luke Hemmings. He's six foot and four inches tall. His birthday is on the sixteenth of July, and he's seventeen years old. He grabbed a radio and spoke into it.

"We have a code nine. I need assistance in the front wing of the emergency department. Portal two, please. Male, seventeen years old. He's passed out," he spoke calmly. He set the radio down, and seconds later, about five paramedics came rushing down the hall, and one of them asked me to follow.

I led them outside to Ashton's car, and they immediately open the back door and pulled Luke out, placing him on a stretcher. I let it all out. I started crying, and I couldn't stop.

I got in Ashton's car, and he pulled off so we could park. Calum followed behind us. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Liz. Yeah, this is Ashton. Yes ma'am. No, Luke has just been admitted into the hospital. You're on business? You can't come home anytime soon? Okay, I'll take care of it. Thanks, bye," he spoke. He hung up the phone seconds later.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Why did you kiss Thomas?" he reiterated. I didn't have a valid answer though. I had no idea, but all I knew was that I regretted it. I felt worthless.

"I don't know. I didn't even know it was him until it was too late," I explained. He looked around the car, and I sunk in my chair. I'd never seen Ashton so angry, but I knew he'd go to hell and back for any of his best friends. His bandmates.

"Bullshit!" he yelled, and I flinched. He'd never raised his voice at me before, and I was sure I'd never want him to have to again. He was always so bubbly and giggly. It was so strange.

"Ashton, I'm not joking. I really didn't. The times where I actually looked at him, I couldn't recognize his face. I was so drunk and upset. I wasn't thinking clearly," I tried to convince him, but it didn't seem to work.

"That's no excuse, Katherine," he started. By now, I'd stopped crying. He only called me by my whole name if he was soothing me or scolding me. I felt little. "You can't go around making out with random guys like that. You don't know what they could do to you," he said. I let a tear slip from my eyes.

"Ash, please listen to me. I wasn't trying to. It just happened."

"That kind of stuff you just don't let happen. There was a reason why your brain made you think it was okay at the moment. I'm going to ask you one more time. Why did you do it, and don't say it was because you were drunk because you and I both know that isn't the whole truth," he spat.

At this point, I was full-on crying again, but I was pretty sure he didn't care. He just wanted to know why, and if I was him, I would too. I was being pathetic about this whole situation.

If anything, Luke was the one who got to cry. He was the one who caught us, and I didn't know if I wanted to face him again.

"I saw him slow dancing with Caitlyn. Her head was on his shoulder, and they were rocking back and forth like we used to do. That was our thing, and he didn't even try to come to find me, even though he knew that's what we were supposed to do. I was hurt to see him with her. I drank until I couldn't see straight, and I know that wasn't the best idea, but that's what happened. On my attempt to go back to the dance floor, I bumped into Thomas, and I spilled my drink all over myself. He took me to this room so he could help me clean up, and one thing led to another. He was there, and I was mad. I'm so sorry, Ash. You have to believe me," I pleaded. I cried even more.

"So, this was out of spite?" he questioned, raising his brow. I nodded. "There's only one thing I can conclude from this," he said bluntly.

"What?"

"You love him. You're in love with Luke, and you don't know how to handle your feelings. Jealously took over your body, so you ran with it," he exclaimed. My face is twisted.

"How is that even possible?" I asked.

"It makes perfect sense. He does something that you don't like, and you do something to retaliate that would hurt him ten times worse. That's how love works. It's stupid, I know, but that's how it goes," he said.

It started to make sense. I loved Luke, but I was too afraid to admit it to myself. I made out with Thomas to get back at him for slow dancing with Caitlyn out of jealousy.

It explained why I always wanted to kiss him, or why I always wanted him to kiss me. It explained why my stomach flipped every time he looked at me. It explained all of the feelings that I'd felt recently.

I opened the door to Ashton's car quickly. I had to go see Luke, but he couldn't find out.


	18. Late Late

Kate's POV

I practically ran into the hospital. I went to the check-in desk so I could go back to see Luke.

"Hi, I'm Kate. I'm here to see Luke Hemmings. He has admitted about fifteen minutes ago," I explained to the woman behind the counter.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Hemmings is in room forty-one. Go to your right, and it's the fourth door on the left," I nodded, and she sent me a warm smile.

I was feeling a rush of emotions as I speedily walked towards Luke's hospital room. I was nervous, and I was scared, nonetheless. When I got to the room, I knocked lightly, but I didn't get a response.

I twisted the knob slowly, and when I opened it slightly, I saw him lying in the bed. He was still unconscious, and he was connected to a bunch of machines. They were all beating at a steady rate. I nearly broke down, but I held it together for the sake of the situation.

I walked in quietly, and I carefully shut the door. There was a nurse writing things on aboard. She looked like she was old enough to be one of our moms. She noticed me as soon as the door closed.

"Hi, I'm Sharon. I'll be Luke's nurse for the time that he's here. You must be his girlfriend?" She greeted. I shook my head.

"No, we're just friends," I said sadly. "We've been best friends since we were six," I informed. I felt my stomach flip as I said those words. I wanted to be more than friends with him, but I wasn't sure if he felt the same way.

"Aw, that's cute," she said. She turned back around and continued writing her contact information on the dry erase board, in case of an emergency with Luke.

"W-What happened with Luke? Like, why'd he passed out? Do you know?" I asked her quickly.

"It was mostly from dehydration and malnutrition. We ran some tests, and they showed that he's hasn't really eaten in days. It also came from a lack of sleep. For our visual tests, by the red and puffiness of his eyes, we could tell that he had been crying before he passed out. From all of those factors I mentioned before, the crying cause him to pass out," she explained simply. "Well, if that's all, I'll be going now to give you guys some privacy. My contact information is on the board. If he wakes up, call me immediately," she instructed.

She walked past me to leave, but I stopped her before she could get out of the door. "Do you think he'll remember any of what happened before he passed out?"

"Most likely, yes," she started, chuckling. "But, he may be a bit confused as to where he is at first. If he sees a familiar face, he'll remember quickly. Good luck!" She walked out of the room, and I walked across the room to take a seat in the chair directly next to Luke's bed.

I sat for a while before a tired sleep started to take over my body. I didn't want to fall asleep before I texted one of my friends, so I quickly pulled out my cell phone to text Ashton.

Kate  
Hey, Ash. Luke isn't awake yet, but they have him on a bunch of fluids, so he should be up soon. Would you guys mind waiting?

He texted me back moments later.

Ash x  
sure...Calum and Michael are going to go home, but Caitlyn said she's going to stay.

My insides started to burn with jealousy, but I pushed it back. I was sure Luke would never choose her over me, but with the incident at hand, my certainty wavered a little.

Kate  
Okay, that's fine.

I closed my phone and let sleep overtake me. I dreamt about the conversation Luke and I would have when he woke up, and I silently prayed that it would go well.  
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The buzzing of my phone brought me out of my sleep. I looked at the screen to find Ashton was calling, so I answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"It's me. Has Luke woken up yet?"

"No, he's still-" I was cut off by the boy stirring in the bed next to me. "Wait, I think he's waking up!" I said in a hushed voice.

"Really?"

"Yeah, call me back in five?"

"Sure thing." He ended the call, and I sat in silence. I braced myself for the conversation that was ahead.

"Luke? Are you awake?" I called out.

I heard more shuffling before I was met with a pair of sparkly blue orbs. Just like the nurse said, his eyes were red and puffy. I felt so bad.

If there was anything I could do to take it back, I would do it in a heartbeat. The moment our eyes met, I felt the wind being knocked out of my chest, and my heart started beating fast.

Butterflies erupted inside my stomach, and I, all of a sudden felt sick and speechless. Ashton was right.

"Yeah, I'm up," he said softly. I gave him a soft smile, but he didn't return it. Instead, he continued to stare at me with a blank facial expression.

I stood up, remembering the instructions the nurse gave me. I walked over to the room telephone to ring her. I typed in the number from the board, and Sharon picked up in less than ten seconds.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Kate. I'm in Luke Hemmings' room. He's just woken up."

"Okay, I'll be right over. I'm just going to come in a refill his fluids and make sure everything looks good on the monitors."

"Alright, we'll see you when you get here."

I hung up the phone, and within two minutes, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called. Sharon walked in moments later. She carried a pair of solution bags that were filled with water and vitamins, so Luke could get some fluids in his system.

A cart was being pulled in behind her, and on that she had, a clipboard, a blood pressure cuff, a thermometer, an assortment of pills, and a bottle of water.

"Hello, Mr. Hemmings. I'm glad you're awake," she started. He was looking at her intently. "I'm going to take your blood pressure and your temperature. I'm going to give you some pills, and after that, I'm going to refill your solution bags."

He nodded, and she walked over to him with the blood pressure cuff and the thermometer. She reached for his arm, and he stretched it out so she could have better access. She wrapped the cuff around his arm.

After she was done with the blood pressure procedure, she took his temperature quickly, and she gave him the pills. She quickly changed his solution bags, and she noted all of the numbers she'd gathered on her clipboard.

"That's all for tonight! I'll be back at around three in the morning so I can give you more meds, Luke." She turned to me. "Are you staying, Kate?"

I quickly shook my head. "N-No, or not unless Luke wants me to."

"Well, anything is fine, so I'll come back later to check on you all," she said. She grabbed the handle of her cart and wheeled it out before shutting the door.

The room was silent. Luke was staring straight ahead, not even acknowledging my presence. It was eating away at my heart. I just realized that I was in love with him, and I probably ruined the chances of us ever being together.

One mistake was probably going to cost me a lifetime of unhappiness, and I couldn't live with myself.

"Luke?" He turned his head and met my eyes. I shied away from his stare. "How are you feeling?"

"Shattered."

"I'm really sorry, Luke. You have to believe me. I wasn't trying to-"

"It's fine, Kate. I'm shattered, but I'll get over it," he said, his voice wavering slightly. I felt so guilty.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" I asked hopefully. I knew if I just sat here, the remorse for myself would eat me alive. I knew Luke would probably grow distant with me, taking into consideration the recent events. I just wished things were back to normal and I could tell him, but I couldn't.

"Could you--Is Caitlyn here?" he asked. I nodded slowly. "Could you go and get her. I want to talk to her, alone."

"Um, okay. I'll send her in," I responded weakly. I got up from my chair, and I quietly exited the room. As soon as I heard Caitlyn's name come out of his mouth, my heart broke a little.

I couldn't believe he would actually choose her over me. Yes, I could. I betrayed him in the most horrid way possible, and all I did was say 'sorry'. Wow, I really was an idiot.  
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I exited the hospital, and when I got to Ashton's car, I told Caitlyn that Luke wanted to see her. She left, and I let out a long sigh.

"What happened in there?" Ashton asked breaking the silence.

"Nothing really. He just said he was shattered, and then he asked to speak to Caitlyn alone."

"That's pretty rough. I'm sorry, Kate," he said sympathetically. I just sighed again. I was feeling emotions I'd never felt before, and I didn't know how to cope with them.

I wanted to cry or scream, but I also just wanted to cuddle with someone. I wanted to cuddle with Luke specifically, but I knew he didn't want to see me or speak to me, let alone touch me.

"I'll be alright. I guess we have to wait for Caitlyn to come out, so we can't leave?"

"That's the plan. There are some blankets in the trunk. Make yourself comfortable," he explained. I nodded and got out of the car, going around to the trunk to retrieve two blankets. When I returned, Ashton had already reclined his chair, and he was laying down. I passed him one of the blankets I had. "Thanks."

He snuggled up against the blanket, and he closed his eyes. Within minutes, I could hear his faint snores throughout the car. My thoughts tried preventing me from sleeping as well, but I decided to push them to the back of my mind.  
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Caitlyn's POV

As soon as Kate told me that Luke wanted to see me, I got out of Ashton's car. I walked into the hospital and headed straight for his room. Kate gave me directions.

I had to admit that she was super pretty, and we looked almost the same. She was like the prettier version of me. She was way too nice though.

I have this edge in my personality that makes me very blunt at times. When I first met Luke, I could tell that it was scaring him, but he quickly got used to it. We hung out a lot, and he let out all of his frustrations to me.

I was basically like his counselor. Except, he wasn't paying me. He would express to me all of his dilemmas, and I would give him neutral advice on what to do. I knew why he called me in, he wanted to talk about her. He needed my advice, and I was happy to give it to him

I didn't like him or anything, but he was kind of fun to hang around, sometimes. He was awkward most of the time, and I'm into more of a confident kind of guy, so Kate honestly had nothing to worry about.

When I got to the room number Kate provided, I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Luke yelled from the other side. I opened the door and walked in. I sat down on the chair next to his bed, and he smiled at me. "Thank God you didn't leave. I really need your advice," he said.

"Go for it." I stood up and started walking around the room aimlessly. It was just to get the advice flowing.

"Okay, so, what do I do?" He asked. I turned to look at him, and I rose my eyebrows, signaling that I didn't get what he was trying to say. "You know what happened with Kate right?" I nodded. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

I thought for a second before responding. I agreed that it was wrong, what she did, but they weren't dating, so it didn't count for anything truly bad. "I think you should keep showing her affection, but if she doesn't show signs that she wants you to do stuff like that, I say leave it alone. If she doesn't like you, there's really nothing you can do, but if she does, you'll know for sure. You'll be able to tell by the way she acts."

"So, from what happened tonight, do you think she likes me?" He asked.

"Definitely, but don't let her know that you know. You have to let her tell you, but she's not going to just come off and say it. I can tell." I explained. He looked up at the ceiling thinking about everything I just said.

"Do you think I'll have to say it first?"

"You probably will, but I'm confident that this will end with the both of you happy," I said with a smile, but he frowned.

"I don't think I can do it," he confessed.

"What are you talking about? Why not?"

"I love her so much, but this one hit me hard. I don't think I can bounce back from this. Like, she was with a guy that basically cheated on her, and when she was with him, I waited. I waited just for her, but she turned her back on me. What do I do?" he rambled.

"Have her kiss you," I said immediately, already knowing my answer. That was the only way he was going to know for sure.

"What?"

"Have her kiss you. If you feel something, even if it's a small something it's still there, and I promise you'll know what to do about it. If you don't feel anything, you can move on with your life. Everything won't be back to normal, but you can work towards 'normal' every day," I said sympathetically. "Don't tell her you love her yet, though. Wait a little more, once all of this passes over," I added.

"How are you so good at this?" He questioned wiggling his eyebrows. I chuckled softly. He was such a dork.

"It's a gift," I said modestly, flipping my hair. He laughed.

"Thank you, Caitlyn."

"No problem, Hemmings. I'll come to visit you tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure Ashton and Kate are sleeping in the car right now," I informed. I walked over to his bed, and I gave him a short side hug before walking out of the door. "I'll see you later."

"Bye!" He called as I closed the door.

I walked out of the hospital, hoping that my advice was accurate and everything I said would help and pay off in the end.


	19. Shop

Kate's POV

I was awakened by soft taps on the window. I jolted up and looked to my side. It was Caitlyn. I unlocked her door so she could get in the car. Once she slid in the backseat, I passed her a blanket.

"Thanks," she said.

"Don't mention it," I replied. I didn't know why, but my slight hatred for her seemed to start to burn out. I didn't understand. She hadn't really done anything that benefitted me.

I turned over to tap Ashton, and he stirred a little in his sleep. I tapped him again.

"What?" he grumbled with his eyes closed.

"Caitlyn is back. We can go now," I said. He rolled over and opened up his eyes. He saw Caitlyn in the backseat, stretched across it with the blanket I gave her wrapped comfortably around her body.

"Kate, it's like four in the morning, can't we just stay here," he whined.

"If everyone is fine with it, sure. I just thought maybe you didn't want to sleep in the car," I explained.

No one answered though. Within minutes I could hear Ashton's quiet snores again, and when I turned around, Caitlyn was also asleep. I couldn't sleep though.

I unlocked my car door, and I opened it. I got out quickly. I left the door open a crack just in case it accidentally locked when I closed it. I knew Ashton would be mad if I started to tap on his window so I could get back into the car.

I walked around the car a few times to take in the fresh air, and when I was done, I walked into the hospital to find a bathroom. As soon as I stepped into the place, my thoughts immediately went to Luke. I couldn't shake them, and it was crippling me.

I was tempted to go to his room, just to check on him, but I didn't. I was at a never-ending debate between my head and my heart, and I wasn't intimately sure which one was winning.

I used the bathroom, and I exited the hospital. I went back to the car, and I slipped in quietly. I pulled the blanket over my body, and I just laid there until sleep finally came upon me.  
.  
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An alarm going off woke me up. I shut it off, and I made my chair rise up to a sitting position. I looked around to find that it was light outside, and Ashton was still asleep.

I turned around to find Caitlyn already awake. She was on her phone.

"Morning," I said sleepily. "Why are you awake so early?"

"Good morning, Kate. My phone woke me up, same as you, but I got a text from Luke instead of an alarm," she responded nonchalantly.

My stomach flipped, and my cheeks started to heat up. My hatred was starting to grow back by the second, but I pushed it back as best as I could.

I wish he would've texted me, but I knew I messed up really bad. It was probably never going to be normal again, but I didn't want to dwell on it too much. It would make me go crazy.

"Oh, what did he say?"

"Nothing really. He just, uh, said that he couldn't fall asleep," she replied. My thoughts ran wild, and no matter how hard I tried to calm down, they were loose and would be tamed for a while.

I was affecting Luke's sleep because of my prior stupidity. With every second, my self-hate grew times ten. I started to regret all of my life's decisions, and I started to question if any of this was even worth the trouble.

"Why not? Is something wrong?" I questioned.

"Not that I know of. He just said he was thinking about everything, you mostly." My stomach dropped. I knew I had messed up, but I didn't know it was bad enough to keep him from sleeping. My guilt levels were skyrocketing, and my lip quivered. "He wants to see you," she added.

I turned around quickly, and she nodded. I stared at her for a second before speaking up. "Are you serious?" Again, she nodded.

"I'm not joking." I turned back around and placed my hand on the door handle, prepared to exit the car. "Go get him."

I opened the car door and walked briskly into the hospital. I made my way to Luke's room, and when I got to his door, I opened it slowly.

I peeped my head around the corner to find him laying down, and he was on his phone. I walked in quietly, and he looked up.

"Hi," I said waving shyly. He shot me a small smile, and I melted internally. I thought I'd never see that directed towards me ever again.

"Hey." I walked across the room and took a seat in the chair beside his bed. Since I'd last been in his room, he was in the clothes he wore to the party, but he changed into a hospital gown.

He was under a few sheets and blankets, and there was a tray with empty bottles of water and juice boxes by the sink. I stared around aimlessly before breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"How are you feeling now?"

"To be honest, I'm feeling a lot better. They disconnected me from my fluids, and they come back to check on me every few hours to make sure I've had at least a bottle of water so I can stay hydrated," he explained. I nodded.

"That's good," I said. "Are you hungry at all? I could go down to the cafeteria and get you some breakfast," I offered standing up. He shook his head.

"That's alright. I can just call it in," he replied. I sat back down, and I saw him staring at the wall.

I wanted to know what was going on in his head. I wanted to know if he forgave me or not. I wanted to know if we still stood a chance. I decided to make a bold move.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked. He continued to stare at the wall, but after a moment, he answered.

"You." Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I tried my hardest to contain myself.

"What about me?"

"I don't know, everything I guess," he said plainly. My face dropped. I should have known that he wouldn't bounce back after one night. It was a bit frustrating, but I knew I deserved it.

"Oh," I responded with a sigh. He nodded, and I reverted my gaze away from him. The room fell into another awkward silence. I decided to break it yet again. "Is there anything I can get you?" I asked.

"It would be nice if you could bring me a change of clothes and some other hygienic things," he said. I stood from my chair and headed toward the door.

"I'll be back with your things later," I said exiting the room. I shut the door and walked down the hallway. Once I had reached outside, I went over to Ashton's car to find him awake and talking to Caitlyn.

I opened the door and got in. Ashton greeted me first.

"Good morning, Kate!" he said cheerfully. I giggled, and we drove off.

"Morning Ash. Luke asked if I could bring him back some stuff. Could we go to my house and then the drug store on the way back?" Ashton nodded as he continued to drive.  
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Once we got to my house, I invited Ashton and Caitlyn in so they wouldn't have to wait in the car. I unlocked my front door and led them to my room. I was stopped by my mom.

"Good morning, Kate," she said in a bone-chilling tone. I waved and proceeded my journey up the stairs. "Where have you been all night?" she asked just before I could set foot on the first step.

I told Ashton to take Caitlyn to my room before I answered. "Luke fainted at the party last night, not from drinking though. He said he couldn't breathe before he passed out so we drove him to the hospital. The nurse said it was from malnutrition and dehydration with accelerated adrenaline levels and stuff, so when we finished figuring everything out, Ash was too tired to drive back, so we all slept in the car," I explained. She nodded and, and I turned to go upstairs.

"Just call and let someone know next time," she called after me.

"I will," I responded. I trudged up the stairs, and when I got to my room, I saw Ashton laying across my bed and Caitlyn looking at the pictures of the boys and I taped onto my walls.

I walked over to where she was standing, and she spoke first. "These are awesome," she said pointing to one where we were all wearing vests and holding laser guns. She then turned to a picture of Luke and me in a photo booth. The pictures were a couple of years old.

There were 4 pictures on the strip, and each of them was different. In the first one, Luke and I were making silly faces. The one after that displayed us cracking up about how funny we'd looked in the previous picture. The next one had us just smiling, but his arm was around my shoulders. In the last one, we were turned towards each other just looking into one another's eyes.

I kissed him for the first time that day. It was my first kiss ever, but it wasn't awkward. It'd felt right, and that's when I realized I had a crush on him.

After a few months of being totally obvious that I liked him, I slowly started to give up. I realized that he didn't like me that way, so I just stopped trying. In the back of my mind, I knew that he wasn't ever going to go for me. I was his best friend.

The first time I realized I could be crushing on him again was when we kissed at that party where I met Thomas. I didn't want it to be true though. I didn't want to get hurt again.

The first time I thought it was him, but it was clear that it wasn't. I used Thomas as my distraction, and that obviously wasn't a good idea. I let him in too easily, and when I found him with Lexi, it really hurt.

That same night I had caught them, Luke took care of me. He did his best, and I really appreciated it. I wasn't planning on it, but I knew what I had to do so I could tell if I actually liked him again or not. When we had sex that night, I knew for sure, but I didn't want to know. There were consequences that I didn't want to deal with.

When we fell asleep that night, I heard him saying something, but I couldn't make it out, so I just mumbled in response. What I did feel, though, were the hearts he was drawing into my back.

"We were fifteen," I said suddenly. Caitlyn nodded. "We kissed after that, for the first time. It was pretty special to me because it was my first kiss," I explained. I turned around to find Ashton gone. I walked over to the drawer where I kept Luke's things, and I started getting some clothes out for him.

"How did you feel afterward?" she asked. I knew my answer right away.

"I had a crush on him, but he didn't see me that way, so I gave up after a while." I got out a pair of sweatpants and a plain black shirt for him.

"How do you feel about him now?"

"Honestly, I'm in love with him, but he can't know about it," I confessed. She rose both her eyebrows, and I shrugged. "It's complicated."

"I get it. Don't worry," she replied raising her hands in surrender. I went to my closet to find a small bag to put Luke's clothes in. Once I found one of appropriate size, I placed the clothes in neatly, and I zipped the bag shut.

Caitlyn made her way to my bed, and she took a seat there. I went to my dresser to find some comfortable clothes for myself, and I also retrieved some for Caitlyn. I got us both a pair of sweatpants and a dry-fit shirt.

I got an extra robe from my closet, and I passed it to her.

"I'm going to take a shower. I got these out for you," I started showing her the clothes I picked out. "I can put your undergarments in the wash before I get in, and I'll put them in the dryer when I get out so they'll be ready for you if you want to shower as well. There are extra toothbrushes in the cabinet above the sink in the bathroom, and the towels and washcloths are in the cupboard across the hall from the bathroom. Also, I'll make sure Ash doesn't come in here until we're both dressed again."

She chuckled, and I left so she could get undressed. I returned minutes later, and when I knocked on the door, she called for me to open it. She was wearing one of my robes and her clothes were in a pile next to her. I grabbed them all, and I took them to the laundry room at the end of the hallway.

I threw them in and I added the detergent, washing powder, and fabric softener. I turned on the washing machine before leaving to get in the shower. Upon arriving at the bathroom, I brushed my teeth.

I took a brisk shower, washing my hair quickly and bathing just as fast. I turned the water off and stepped out to dry off. I wrapped a towel around my body and left to go back to the laundry room so I could dry Caitlyn's clothes.

Once I had put her clothes into the dryer. I returned to my room. Caitlyn was in the same position I left her in. "It's your turn. Your things have already started drying," I informed. She nodded and stood up. She left moments later, and I got dressed.  
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Caitlyn came back after about ten minutes, and I left to get her clothes from out of the dryer. When I returned, my phone went off. I saw a text from Ashton.

Ash x

I went home to freshen up...Calum will come and get you guys to go back to the hospital xx

Kate  
Okay

I handed Caitlyn her things, and I left my room to go downstairs to find us some food. I settled on toast with a Nutella spread and some strawberries.

Caitlyn came down, and we ate breakfast in silence. When we were done, I cleaned up the plates, and we waited on the couch for Calum to come to pick us up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she spoke up. I shook my head.

"Not really. Thanks though."

Another awkward silence came upon us, and my phone buzzed shortly after, not allowing me any time to think further.

Cal x  
outside...

Kate  
We'll be out in a second.

"Calum's outside," I said to Caitlyn. She nodded before standing up. I grabbed the bag I packed for Luke, and we headed out the door. "Mom, we're going back to the hospital for a while. I'm not sure when I'll be back," I called throughout the house.

Even though I didn't get a response, I closed the front door, and we made our way to Calum's car. We both slipped in and shut our doors before Calum pulled off.

"Hello, Kate. Hi Caitlyn," he greeted.

"Hey Cal," I replied. Caitlyn just waved when he looked at her through the rearview mirror, as she was on her phone.

"I went by Luke's house before I came to pick you guys up, and I got him some toiletries and stuff so we don't have to stop on the way there," Calum said. I nodded, and we made small talk until we reached the hospital.

"Where's Michael? He didn't want to come?" I asked. Michael was never really around much anymore, and that confused me because he was a clingy guy. Maybe he was always around and I just didn't notice him because I was drowning in my own issues. I wanted him to come back though because he was light and that's what I needed the most.

"He was a little shaken up after last night, so he decided to stay home today. Ashton's going to take him for lunch later though, just to get his mind off of it," he explained.

Right around the time, Calum stopped talking is when we arrived at the hospital. He turned the car off, and we both grabbed the bags we brought for Luke. We all shut our doors and headed inside.

We made our way to Luke's room, and when we got to his door, Caitlyn opened it slowly. His nurse, Sharon, was in the room, and she was just asking him some questions and writing some things down.

She also checked his temperature, pulse oxygen, heart rate, and blood pressure. She then made sure he had finished his bottle of water, and she gave him a new one. After that, she greeted us and left the room.

"Hi everyone," Luke said. We all said hi back and found a seat anywhere we could sit in the room. Unfortunately, Calum and Caitlyn got the only two chairs in the room, so I was left to stand up. "Kate, you can sit on my bed if you want," Luke spoke softly. I froze.

"Uh, n-no thanks. I'm all good standing up," I replied.

"Are you sure? I don't mind," he tries again.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine right here," I stuttered. Caitlyn laughed out loud, and I shot her a glare. She quieted and raised her hands in surrender. I suddenly remembered the things I'd brought for him. "Luke, me, and Cal brought you some clothes and toiletries so you could shower and stuff if you wanted to," I said quickly.

"You can put them over there," he instructed. I walked over to Calum, and he gave me the bag that was sat in his lap so I could put it where Luke told me.

After about half an hour of Luke and Calum talking, Calum announced that he was going to the gift shop, so he stood up. Just as he was about to close the door to Luke's room, I got up and followed after him. I closed the door quietly when I got outside, and Calum turned around.

"Cal, can I talk to you? It's really important."


	20. Panic

Calum's POV

I nodded and waved her along. She walked beside me in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up.

"What's up?" I asked as we approached the elevator. The gift shop was on the second floor. I pressed the up button and waited patiently for one of them to open.

"As I said, I really need to talk to you, and it's really important," she replied. I didn't really know for sure what she wanted to talk to me about, but I did have a clue.

"Alright, go on," I encouraged her. Then the elevator dinged, and the doors to the one on the left opened. We stepped in quickly after letting the people who were already on-off. Kate pressed the button with the two on it, and soon after, the doors slowly shut.

"You can't be mad at me Cal," she said softly. I met her eyes, and she looked away. "Promise?"

"I promise. Now, tell me what's going on," I instructed. She held out her pinky finger and I took it in mine, locking them together. She took a deep breath before she began to speak, but the elevator doors interrupted us.

They opened, and on the other side waiting for a crowd of people with shopping bags in their hands. They must've come from the same place we were headed to. We hurriedly stepped out so the other people could take our places, and we made our way to the gift shop that was located at the end of the hall.

"Calum," she started. I held my breath, waiting for her to say the words I'd gotten through a text from my best mate a few weeks ago. "I think I'm in love with Luke," she rushed out. "But, I'm almost positive that I've ruined any chances I may have had with him with my mistake last night. I don't know what I'm going to do."

She started breathing heavily, and I knew what was happening. She used to have them all of the time when we were younger, but she hadn't had them for about a year or so. I noticed that they had been happening a lot within the month, and I saw the pattern. It was a panic attack.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her off to a secluded area. It had chairs and small couches, so I instructed her to sit. I kneeled in front of her on the floor and took both of her hands in mine.

Her mom showed us how to handle these a few years back when she had one while we were all hanging out. No one could make it better but Luke and his way were much different than the one Kate's mom showed us, but I guess it worked for them.

"Kate, look at me." She looked up and met my eyes. "Now, match my breathing," I directed. I started taking deep breaths, and she did the same. "Listen to me. Everything is going to be fine. Just breathe.

"Calum, I really messed up, and I don't want a repeat of when we were fifteen. I don't think I can go through that again," she explained. Everything started to come together. I knew Kate had a crush on Luke when we younger, but something more had to happen to make her have a panic attack that day.

"What happened?" I asked.

"That day we went for laser tag and Luke and I went into the photo booth was the first time we kissed. I realized that I had a major crush on him, but I found out that he didn't like me back the hard way. Calum, this was my chance, and this whole time I've been too dumb to figure out my feelings. I ruined it. This is all my fault."

A tear escaped from her eye, and she started breathing heavily again. I knew the only person who could top this was Luke, but I also knew that he wasn't mentally or emotionally capable of doing it at the moment. I sat down next to her, and I pulled her into me.

I had to give her advice without giving away that Luke felt the same way. I actually hadn't talked to him about it since the incident last night, so I wasn't completely sure if his feelings were still there, but I knew that a person couldn't lose their feelings for another person after one mishap, especially if they were strong like I knew Luke's were.

I made a promise to him, and I wasn't going to break it. I was going to make sure that I gave all the advice I could while making sure that Kate didn't find out. I was being tugged in both directions, but I had to make a decision.

I could end her misery by telling her not to worry because Luke felt the same way, even if I didn't know if it was still true or not, or I could let her imagination run wild until Luke found a way to tell her. Either way, one of them had to hurt until someone spoke up, but I promised Luke that I wouldn't, so it had to be him, and I was hoping it would be soon.

"Not it's not. I understand what you're going through," I said calmly.

"What do I do?"

"All you can do is wait. If Luke had any feelings for you, they aren't going to fade after one accident. That's what relationships are about. If there wasn't any fighting or disagreements, that'd be terribly boring. Couples have to climb over mountains in order to keep the love alive because that's just how it works. Kate, if Luke loved you before your mistake, he's not going to just stop loving you because of it. Love is strong, and it doesn't fade easily. You just need to give him some time," I explained. She sighed deeply and untangled herself from my embrace.

"Thanks, Cal," she said softly. I nodded and sent her a smile. Surprisingly, she smiled back. We stood up and continued our journey to the gift shop. We walked the rest of the way in silence, and when we got there, Kate ventured off to the back of the store.

I wandered over to the balloon section to find Luke the perfect one. After a few minutes of looking around, I found one that had a penguin on one side and a 'Get Well Soon' message on the other. I also found some tiny letter balloons, and I searched for the four that were in his name. Once I found them, I walked over to where Kate was.

I saw that she had picked out a small penguin plush and a card with a cartoon penguin on the front. She looked up at me as soon as I appeared beside her.

"Are you ready to go back down?" I asked. She nodded and we made our way to the checkout. The clerk gave me a small vase to put my letter balloons in, as the strings were made of hard plastic instead of ribbon. I then paid for my gift, and Kate was next. 

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Kate's POV

After I'd picked out a card and a stuffed animal that I thought Luke would like, I paid for it after Calum paid for his gift. I handed the clerk, whose name was Elliot by the tag on his shirt, my cash, and he gave me a gift bag for my things. He also let me borrow a pen to write on my card.

I opened it up and wrote a simple message. I'm really sorry. I signed my name underneath it, and I added a small heart at the end. I then closed the card and put it in the bag along with the small stuffed penguin.

We walked out of the gift shop and down the hall. Once we got to the elevator, I pressed the down button, and we waited for one to open.

"How'd you do that?" I asked suddenly. No one ever really knew how to stop one except my parents and Luke, and he didn't even use the same techniques my parents did.

"What are you talking about?" he replied, easing his eyebrows. The door to the elevator on our left opened, and since it was clear, we stepped in quickly.

Calum leaned in and pressed the button with the G on it before I spoke again.

"How did you know how to stop my panic attack? No one's ever been able to except my parents and Luke," I elaborated. He nodded, and the elevator stopped.

The doors opened shortly after, and we got off to a crowd of people waiting to get on. We walked to Luke's room in silence, but Calum explained when we got right outside of Luke's room.

"Your mom taught us after that time you had one when we were hanging out. I remember that day so clearly. We were all freaking out, and Luke was on the phone panicking to your mom, but she was too far away to come in time. He took you to space with fewer people, and I watched from afar."

"What did you see?" I asked out of curiosity. Just like Calum, I remembered that day down to every detail. I just wanted to know what we looked like to other people.

"At first, you were just standing against a wall, and you looked really stiff and tensed. He grabbed your hands, and from what I could see, he had you look at him," Calum started. "Apparently you started crying again, so he pulled you in for a hug."

"Is that all you saw?"

"No, but I wish it was," he chuckled. My eyebrows scrunched together out of confusion.

"Why?" I questioned.

"It was so weird to watch. That's why I left as soon as it happened. We waited on you guys for like five whole minutes before you came back," he said shuddering. I laughed though.

"We were back there for five minutes? It didn't seem like it," I said still laughing.

"Yes, like I saw you pull away from the hug, and I guess you were still crying, so he cupped your cheeks. You guys talked for a few minutes before his lips touched yours. I saw you visibly relax, and I stopped watching at that point because I felt like a creep," Calum said.

"Interesting," I laughed. That was the second time I had ever kissed Luke, but every time felt like the first for some reason. Calum reached for the doorknob and opened it slowly.

"No, it was weird," he said smiling. We walked into the room, and Caitlyn was sitting in a chair with her chin in the palm of her hand looking bored as ever. Her phone must've finally died. She was literally always on it.

Calum let me take his seat, and he stood. We were all silent until Luke spoke up.

"Guys, I have some news," he said flatly.


	21. Missing

Kate's POV

I froze, and Calum walked over to where I was sat. Caitlyn removed her chin from the palm of her hand quickly, and she sat up straight. I would've guessed that she knew what he was about to say because she's been in here with him since Calum and I left to go to the gift shop. Then again, Luke was pretty unpredictable, so I don't think anyone knew unless he planned this out with someone before we came back.

"What is it?" I asked slowly. Luke sat up, and I nervously bit my lip. I looked at Calum, and he gave me a slight shrug before turning to face Luke again.

"Well, Sharon came in while you guys were at the gift shop, and she said that it's possible that I could go home late tonight or early tomorrow morning. She said they're going to closely monitor all of the different levels that are important to my overall health, and if everything is steady from now until this evening, I'll be able to go home," he informed cheerfully.

Calum's jaw dropped, and then he gave Luke a playful glare. "Why'd you build it up like that?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"Guys, I have some news," Calum mocked. Luke just laughed, and Calum flipped him off, but he just laughed even harder. I missed his laugh lately. I hadn't heard it in a while.

Suddenly, I remembered the things Calum and I got Luke from the gift shop. My bag was in my lap, so I got up and walked over to Luke, placing it next to him on his bed. Calum then gave him the balloons he'd picked out.

"Thanks, guys," he said smiling. Calum nodded, and I sent him a thumbs up. He winked at me, and I swear I would've melted if I had no self-control. Luke looked in the bag I had his gifts in and pulled out the penguin plush first. "This is cute. It's perfect for my everlasting collection."

Next, he took out my card, and the room started getting hot. I took off my sweater and placed it in the chair I was sitting in. I don't know why but I slowly started to regret writing what I wrote in that card. It already had a cheesy poem inside, but I felt like putting 'I'm sorry' at the end of the card was not one of the best decisions I've made.

I watched closely as he looked at it and read it. My cheeks started to heat up. Once he was finished, he looked towards me, and my eyes shot straight to the floor. I heard him close the card, put it back into the envelope, and he put the envelope back into the gift bag.

I went back to my seat, and I sat down shamefully. My head was hung low, and I felt the tears trying to force themselves in my eyes, but I couldn't cry anymore. I was tired of crying because of every problem I encountered. I had been doing this since I was around fifteen, and I thought it was time for a change.

I sat for a while trying to calm myself down, and the whole time I could feel him staring at me. I took deep breaths to try and steady my breathing, and I frantically rubbed my eyes to get rid of any evidence that showed that I was close to crying.

"Kate," Luke called. I looked up, and our eyes met. "I forgive you." His tone was calm and endearing, and I felt a chill run down my spine. He added a small smile, and I gave him one back. Calum looked back and forth between us in confusion, but I shrugged, not knowing what was happening either.

We all eventually fell into light conversation, and before I knew it, it was time to leave. We were going to go get dinner, charge our electronics, and rest for a bit until we had to come back to pick up Luke when he got discharged.

"If they say you can go home tonight, call one of us. We'll see you later, mate," Calum said. Luke nodded, and he stood up from his lying position on the hospital bed.

"Okay. I'm about to shower, so don't try and contact me for at least thirty minutes," he replied. he walked over to the bags Calum and I brought for him, and he took out the clothes that were inside. He placed them on his bed, and he sat down.

We all grabbed our things and said our goodbyes before exiting his room. We headed outside to Calum's car, and once we got in, we buckled our seat belts. I let out a sigh of relief, and Calum's turned to face me with his eyebrows raised.

"That was a very stressful situation," I said jokingly. He chuckled.

"And how's that?" he asked. He started the car and rolled his window down.

"I don't know. There were many times where something could go terribly wrong, and I guess I'm just glad it all worked out fine," I explained. He took the car out of the park, and he was about to pull off, but a gust of wind came through his window, and I suddenly remembered my jacket. "Cal, I forgot my jacket in Luke's room. I'll be right back," I said quickly.

I got out of the car, and I speed walked back into the hospital. When I got to Luke's room, I knocked softly, but I got no response. I opened the door slowly, and I walked in with the mission to retrieve my jacket quietly. I heard the shower going in the bathroom, so I knew Luke wouldn't be out in time to catch me.

I went over to the chair I left it in, but I didn't see it at all. I looked around his bed and the chair that Caitlyn was sitting in. I still had zero luck. After about five minutes of frantic searching for a jacket that was nowhere to be found, I heard the shower water turn off, and my eyes widened.

I looked around as fast as I could, but I still couldn't find it, so I just gave up. I practically ran to the door just to avoid Luke. That didn't work. He came out of the bathroom just as I was reaching for the doorknob, and I was caught.

"Kate?" he called for the second time today. My palms started sweating, and a blush crept up my neck. I turned around slowly, and I was met with the face of a confused Luke. He was still a little wet, and he had a towel wrapped securely around his waist. I looked him up and down, and I just couldn't tear my eyes away.

"Sorry, I-I was just looking for my jacket. I couldn't find it, so I was just going to c-come back later," I stuttered. I mentally facepalmed at my sudden awkwardness, but he just laughed.

"Oh, I saw that you left it, and I wasn't sure if you were going to come back for it tonight, so I put it in that bag you gave me with the clothes in it," he said. He then walked towards the corner of the room to get the bag, and he brought it back to bed. I was still stood by the door, and I was literally shaking out of pure nervousness. He opened the bag and pulled out the gray pullover that I left behind. "Here you go."

He held it out for me to come to get, so I slowly made my way to where he was standing. I grabbed the jacket from him, and I swiftly tied it around my waist. He was staring at me the entire time.

"Thanks, Luke. I guess I'll be going now, for real this time," I stated, chuckling softly.

"No problem. I might get discharged later tonight, so I'll call you or Calum if I need anything." I turned around when he was done to start making my way back to the door.

"Okay, bye Lu-" I was cut off by him grabbing my wrist and spinning me around to face him. He just looked into my eyes for a few moments before his hand reached up to cup one of my cheeks. My eyes fluttered closed, and I felt him step forward before smashing his lips against mine.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I felt so vulnerable. He swiped his tongue across my bottom lip asking for permission to deepen the kiss. I granted it by slightly parting my lips, and he strategically turned us around.

Since I now had my back towards the bed, I sat down, taking him with me. I guess we both had the same intentions because I grabbed the back of his neck to pull him back at the same time he leaned forward. We were laying down on a hospital bed making out, and even though it seemed completely out of the ordinary, it just felt so right at the moment.

By us laying down, I could feel him poking me through his towel. I wanted to go further, but I knew we weren't in the right place to do that. We made out for a few more minutes, which seemed like hours before we heard a knock on the door. He pulled away quickly and I stood up from the bed just as fast.

"Luke, I should really go now," I said breathlessly. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" he nodded and grabbed his clothes, taking them to the bathroom before shutting the door lightly. I sighed, and I picked up my jacket from the bed. The knock on the door sounded again, and I walked to the exit at a faster pace than before.

When I swung it open, I found Sharon on the other side. "Oh, hello Kate. Are you visiting again today?" she asked with a smile. I shook my head.

"No, I just forgot my jacket. I think Luke is in the shower though because I heard the water running. You may want to come back later," I half lied. It was true that I forgot my jacket, but I knew he had already gotten out of the shower. I was just buying him time so he could get rid of his boner.

"Okay, thank you," she replied. I nodded, and she walked away. I walked in the opposite direction, towards the car park. Once I got outside, I saw Calum pulled around to the front waiting for me. I got in quickly and was bombarded with questions.

"Where have you been? What took you so long?" Calum asked. I tensed up, and I guess he noticed because he asked me another question when I didn't respond. "What happened, Katherine?"

I stared straight ahead for the longest time before I answered. "I-I can't tell you," I stuttered. I turned to face him, and he just shook his head. I bit my lip and slid down in my seat as he started the car up. Seconds later, we pulled off.

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Calum dropped me off at my house, and he drove off before I could even get inside my house. I expected him to be a little mad, but not as angry as he was. I knew he could see right through me, and I knew he was disappointed.

I had just spilled my heart out to him about Luke, and I told him that I would give Luke time, but to be fair, Luke was the one who kissed me. I could've stopped it, but to be honest, I didn't want to. His lips felt so nice on mine. When we kissed, time stopped and everything felt right.

I was angry at myself for taking this long to realize that I had a massive crush on Luke again, and it wasn't just a normal crush. I was literally in love with the guy, but because of my mistakes, he couldn't know.

I pulled my house keys out of the pocket in my sweatpants, and I unlocked the door. I walked into my home to it being freezing cold, so I immediately went to the thermostat to turn down the air conditioning. I went into the kitchen to find something to eat, and I expected my parents to be in there since that's where they usually were, but they were nowhere to be found.

I completely abandoned my objective to get food to instead search for my parents. I looked all upstairs, in my dad's man cave, in the family room, in the dining room, and I even looked in their bedroom. Like recent events, I couldn't find them.

I decided to just call my mom and ask where they were. They couldn't be too far because they still had a week left before they had to resume their never-ending realm of business trips back-to-back. I took my phone out of my pocket, and I dialed her number. It rang for the longest time, and I got no answer.

I tried my dad, and he picked up on the seventh ring. " _Hello?_ "

"Hi, dad. It's Kate." I said smiling.

" _Kate! How's your day been_?" he asked.

"It's been fine, thanks for asking. Where are you guys? I just called mom, and she didn't even pick up."

There was a pause on the line for a moment before I heard my dad's voice again. " _Erm, your mom is on a plane. She left for business about an hour after you went with Calum._ "

"Are you joking? You guys aren't supposed to go back on business for another week. Where are you?" I rolled my eyes and paced across the family room floor.

" _I'm at the airport. I'm supposed to be leaving for America in a few minutes. I won't be back for at least two or three weeks. I really did mean to tell you. I'm so sorry honey,_ " he said sympathetically. For what felt like the hundredth time, I felt like I was about to cry. A tear threatened to spill from my eyes, but I wanted to be stronger. I needed to be stronger.

"Where i-is mom going for business?" I choked out. My throat felt like it was closing up, and the air became thick. I tried to take deep breaths and stay calm, but nothing was working.

" _She's headed for the UK. She'll spend a little bit more time than I will away though. I'm sorry sweetie, but I have to go now. I'm about to board my flight. I'll see you in a few weeks,_ " he stated shamefully. The line went dead a couple of seconds later, and that's when I broke down.

I just cried. I felt so alone, and I didn't think anyone was there for me. It was Luke, Ashton, Calum, and now my parents. I frantically tried to wipe the tears from my eyes and face, but they were constantly pouring out. It was no use.

I sat on the floor, hugged my knees, and I just cried until I couldn't anymore.  
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Luke's POV

When Kate left the room, I breathed a sigh of relief. I kissed her, and I still felt that same flip in my stomach, which only meant one thing. I was still in love with her. I had to find a way to tell her without having her leave. I didn't want to stop seeing each other.

I realized that I still had a pretty prominent bulge under my towel, so I took care of that quickly. After I finished putting on my clothes, I walked out of the bathroom, and I sat on my hospital bed. I grabbed my phone from the portable tabletop, and I unlocked it to text Caitlyn.

**Luke**   
_I have something to tell you!_

**Cait**   
_what_

**Luke**   
_I kissed her..._

**Cait**   
_wait seriously? was that when she went back to your room to get her jacket? is that why she took so long?_

**Luke**   
_Yes, and I have something else to tell you._

**Cait**   
_well..._

**Luke**   
_I felt it. I'm still in love with her._

**Cait**   
_how are you going to tell her?_

**Luke**   
_I'm not sure :-\_

**Cait**   
_..._

I closed my phone, and I started packing my things, just in case I was allowed home tonight. After an hour or so of packing and making sure I had all of my things together and ready to go, I laid down on my bed to chill out a little. I used this time to think about how I was going to tell Kate how I was feeling. There was a light knock on the door, interrupting my thoughts.

"Come in!" I called. The door opened, and Sharon revealed herself. I sat up quickly and let my legs hang over the side of the bed.

"Good evening, Luke. I'm just going to check you out, and if everything is all good, I think it would be safe to call someone to pick you up tonight. Sometimes, the discharge process takes a little long, so once I give you the okay, you can call so they don't have to wait for you," she explained.

Sharon turned her back to get out a blood pressure cuff, and she checked that. She also checked my temperature, heart rate, and pulse oxygen. She wrote some stuff down on her clipboard, while I tapped my foot on the floor nervously, waiting for my verdict.

"Okay, everything looks normal, and from examining your physical aspects, you look fine. I am going to give you about a week's worth of pills, just to make sure you don't lose any more weight irregularly. They won't make you bloat or anything. They'll just make sure your eating pattern gets back on track," she said. "Make sure you drink plenty of water and get plenty of rest. I'll come back in a few minutes to give you your discharge papers and your pills. Take one every day until you run out. Otherwise, you're free to go, and you can call your ride," she instructed.

I smiled and grabbed my phone to call Calum. I dialed his number, and he answered on the second ring.

" _What's up?_ " he asked.

"Sharon just came in and check some stuff. She said I'm free to go home tonight. Can you pick me up?"

" _Sure, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes_ ," he replied before hanging up.

Sharon returned with some papers a few minutes later, and once I finished filling all of them out, I was officially checked out. I sat down to wait for Calum, and he arrived after about ten minutes. He brought Michael with him, and as soon as I opened the door he launched forward at me, pulling me into a gigantic bear hug.

"Luke! I'm so glad you're okay!" he practically yelled.

"Thanks, Mikey."

"You ready?" Calum asked. I nodded, and we all headed for the front of the hospital so we could go to my house. Once we got to Calum's car, we all got in, and we headed straight for my house. Apparently, Ashton was already on his way there.

It felt nice for us all to just hang out with no drama going on. I could just focus on the boys and having a good time, but I couldn't really focus on them completely, as all of my thoughts drifted back to how I was going to tell Kate.


	22. Plan

Kate's POV

I woke up on the floor, curled up into a ball. I sat up slowly, and almost instantly, I remembered the events of the previous day. I kissed Luke, and both of my parents left for business without telling me until they were actually gone. What a life.

I got up from the floor, and I walked upstairs to my bathroom. As soon as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I cringed. My eyes were bloodshot, red, and puffy from crying too much. My hair looked like a bird's nest, and my face just looked horrendous altogether.

I grabbed my toothbrush to brush my teeth quickly, and I used the bathroom after that. I washed my hair while I was taking a shower, and when I got out, I headed to my room. There, I brushed my hair and put on another set of comfy clothes, which consisted of black joggers and a tight-fitting purple shirt.

I went back downstairs to find food when my stomach growled, and that's when I realized I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. I decided on some cereal because I felt too weak to make anything else. Once I finished my breakfast, I checked my phone for any missed calls or text messages.

There was one from Luke, and he'd sent it last night.

**Lukey <3**   
_Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry for what happened at the hospital..._

**Kate**   
_I'm fine. It didn't mean anything, right?_

I mentally facepalmed after I sent the message, but I had to know how he felt. He didn't respond right away, so I went back to what I was doing before, which was absolutely nothing.

I tried watching television, but I couldn't concentrate. I tried cleaning the house, but I got bored. I didn't know what I could do to avoid my thought because nothing I tried worked so far. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom to grab some running shoes. I thought it would be nice to go to take park that Ashton invited me to, to take a walk.

I got some earplugs, my phone, and my house keys before leaving. I walked down my driveway and towards the park. Halfway there, my phone buzzed, and I opened it to see that Luke finally texted me back.

**Lukey <3**   
_No, it was nothing. I don't know why I did it..._

I felt a small piece of my heartbreak off when I read that. I don't know what I expected, but I didn't expect for it to mean completely nothing to him. He was the one who kissed me. I decided not to text back, and I put in my earplugs, blasting music as soon as they were connected to my phone.

When I arrived at the park, I went straight to the trail Ashton and I walked last week. I looked around at all of the scenery, and I just thought about everything thing up until this moment.

I couldn't believe how irrational and stupid I had been over the last month. Most of the decisions I made had been incredibly dumb, and some of the thoughts I'd had, had been increasing idiotic. I was so naïve to think that what I felt towards Thomas was love, but it was incredible how after everything he did to me, I was still somehow lured back to him.

I regretted making the deal with Luke about the lesson, especially when I knew I had a crush on him. That was the worst decision I've ever made

My life was a wreck, and I wasn't sure how to fix it, but I was going to try my hardest. My phone buzzed again, but this time, it was three times in a row.

**Lukey <3**

_Sorry_

**Lukey <3**   
_Forget I said that_

**Lukey <3**   
_How was the rest of your day yesterday?_

I shoved my phone back into the pocket of my joggers, and I just kept walking silently. After about ten more minutes of walking, my phone went off again.

**Lukey <3**   
_Kate_

**Lukey <3**   
_Please don't ignore me_

**Lukey <3**

_I'm sorry_

**Lukey <3**   
_I just want to know how the rest of your day went_

**Lukey <3**   
_Please answer_

**Lukey <3**   
_Fine, I'll leave you alone._

I unlocked my phone to respond so I could put him out of his misery.

**Kate**

_If you really want to know... yesterday was horrible_

He texted back immediately, which made me smile. I guess he actually wanted to talk to me, instead of just seeing how I felt about the kiss. It sort of made me feel better.

**Lukey <3**   
_Why? What happened?_

By this time, I was back at the beginning of the trail, and I decided that I would go sit on a swing in place of taking another long walk. When I got to the set of swings, I took a seat on the one farthest to the left, and I looked over the park. The view I had of everyone enjoying their day was inspiring. I wish I could have something like that for once.

I was about to reply to Luke's message when I saw him walking across the park aimlessly. I stared at him, and he didn't notice me until he came over to where the swings were.

"Kate?" he questioned, squinting his eyes. I nodded, and his face lit up. He walked over to where I was sitting, and he sat on the swing next to mine. "Hi."

"Hello," I dragged out.

"So, tell me what's up," he directed. I sighed before speaking.

"My mom left for the UK for like four-plus weeks, and my dad left for America for about three weeks all for business...They didn't tell me until they were actually gone, but they were supposed to have at least another week of business trip free," I explained.

"Aw, I'm sorry. " He started swinging, and I just stared at him. "What?"

"That's it?" I turned around and faced the opposite direction of him. He abruptly stopped his swing and got off. He walked over to where I was facing, and he kneeled in front of me.

"No, I'm sorry. My parents are always on business as well, so I don't really know what to say," he said softly. I rolled my eyes, but he disregarded it, grabbing for my hands.

"You always know what to say," I retaliated. He laughed, which made a small smile form on my face.

"Not this time. How about this? We can hang out every day until our parents come back if it makes you feel better." He started playing with my fingers, and my heart started beating faster.

"Um, okay," I answered slowly. Luke seemed a lot happier today than he was a few days ago, or even the last time we were here. It was nice to see a smile on his face again.

I stood up from my swing, and I started walking away, which made Luke increasingly confused. I turned around quickly, and he was staring at me with his eyebrows knitted together.

"You said we could hang out, so let's go," I said backing up slowly. He stood from his kneeling position on the ground, and walked over to me. "Last one to the park entrance is a rotten egg!" I yelled running away quickly. It took Luke a few seconds to register what I had just said before he ran off himself.

I halfway expected myself to win, especially because I got such a huge head start, but of course, Luke's legs were used to his advantage as he beat me by a couple of seconds. When I got to the entrance, he was laughing at me, so I stuck my tongue out at him. He blew me a kiss, and I walked past him quickly to hide the fact that I was full-on blushing.

He walked up behind me and placed his arm around my shoulders as we made our way to his car. Once we got there, he opened the door for me, and I got in. He went around and slipped in himself before he turns the car on and drove away.

It took about five minutes to get to my house, and when we got there, I got out first to open the front door. I went into my house, and I headed straight to my room to remove my shoes. Luke followed behind me.

As soon as I got them off, I put them back in my closet. Luke was sitting on my bed, so I walked over and stood in front of him.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. This was your idea," he said.

"We can watch some YouTube videos, funny ones," I suggested. It was about three in the afternoon, and I was bored. We had to find something to do fast so I didn't die of complete boredom.

"Sure." I crawled to the head of my bed and slid under the covers. I patted the spot next to me, and Luke came over to lay there. I grabbed my laptop from off top of my nightstand and logged in when the screen came up.

I quickly typed in the web address for YouTube, and when it loaded, I typed in 'Try Not To Laugh Or Grin While Watching This'. I clicked search and pulled up the first video that came up.  
.  
.  
.  
After watching countless Try Not To Laugh videos, which Luke laughed every two seconds, we proceeded to look at random vine compilations.

When we got bored of that, we scrolled through Tumblr, and Luke insisted we looked at all of the relationship kinds of blogs. He made me tell him which of the posts were my favorites, and he told me that I was cute and could be a Tumblr girl if I wanted.

Once we were done, we just kind of laid on our backs and made casual conversation. We didn't get into anything too deep until Luke started speaking really quietly. It wasn't quite a whisper, but it was soft.

"I'm sorry," he said. I turned to face him, but he was still lying on his back, hands folded on top of his stomach.

"For?" I questioned. He looked over at me and then back up.

"I'm sorry for ruining your chances with that Evan guy. I was so confused at the time, and I didn't want to lose you to him. You're my best friend, and I didn't want to lose you to someone who isn't even good enough for you. It's my job to protect you, and that's all I was trying to do. I know I may have overstepped my boundaries a little bit by claiming you as mine, but that's all I could think of to stop it at the moment," he confessed. I nodded along. "I'm also sorry for acting like a jerk towards you after lunch that day. Calum and I were kind of fighting at the time, and I was mad at him. I shouldn't have taken that out on you. I'm sorry," he added.

Silence overtook the room for a while before I decided to finally speak up.

"I forgive you," I declared. He turned towards me and smiled. He opened his arms as wide as they could go, being that he was on his side, and invited me in for a hug.

I gladly scooted over so he could incase me in his arms. He held me tight for a solid ten seconds, and when he let go, he placed a light peck on my lips. My stomach flipped, and I felt light-headed.

His entire face went up in red from his blush. I shied away for a second, and when I looked back up, he was looking away.

"I'm sorry. It's sort of a habit," he said still not looking at me.

"Hey." He turned back around and focused his attention on me. "It's fine, okay? It's just me. Plus, I kind of liked that," I stated, and he smiled.

"Really?" he asked. I nodded quickly, and he smiled even wider. "Come over here then."

I rolled back over to where Luke was laying, and he instructed me to climb on top of him. He sat up against my headboard, pulling me with him, so I straddled his waist and put my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, interlocking his hands when they met behind my back.

When I finally found the courage to look at him, I saw that his lips were slightly parted and his pupils were dilated. I looked away quickly, but he wasn't having it. He used one of his fingers to tilt my chin up, and he stared into my eyes for the longest time.

"Where is this going?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know," he replied. "It can go wherever you want it to go." My breathing hitched, and my heart rate started increasing. We just stared at each other for what felt like forever until he broke the silence. "Kiss me."

I leaned in, and Luke met me halfway. When our lips met, it felt like everything slowed down, except for the speed of my heart. It felt like a ton of caged butterflies were being set free in my gut, and knew the only word to describe this feeling was love.

He slipped his tongue into my mouth, and he tightened his grip around my waist. The kiss was slow and quite passionate. My fingers found their way to his hair, and I ran my hands through it.

He took my bottom lip between his teeth, tugging on it gently, which caused me to let out a quiet moan. He returned to our kiss, but he started moving his hips around to create some friction.

I continued to run my fingers through his hair, pulling lightly at the root every now and then, eliciting an uncontrollable groan each time. I started to feel the bulge in his pants grow because it was being pressed against me. I used the same actions he was by swirling my hips in a different direction, causing him to let out his suppressed moans.

I removed my lips from his to pay attention to his neck and collar bone. I gently sucked on different sections of his skin, making countless marks in my path.

"Kate..." Luke sighed. I just continued my work. This went on for about a minute before he stopped me.

His hands cupped my cheeks, and he brought my lips back to his. He forced his tongue to part my lips, and I gladly let them take control. He sat up all the way, taking one hand to guide my legs around his waist.

He stood up quickly on his knees before I went backwards until my back was on my bed. My legs were still wrapped around his waist, and he was laying on top of me, using his forearms to support most of his weight. Our lips stayed connected the whole time.

I felt a rush of bliss shoot through my body as he started rubbing himself against me. The slow, passionate kiss we started in the beginning soon turned into one full of need and deep affection.

I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to take this, but I knew I wasn't emotionally stable enough for sex yet. I would probably blurt out my feelings somewhere during the act, and I didn't want that to happen.

Luke removed his lips and brought them down to my neck, sucking near my collar bone and behind my ear.

"Luke," I begged. When he came back up, he stared into my eyes for a few seconds before dipping down and placing a few lingering kisses on my lips. He got off from on top of me, and I sat up. "That was..." I trailed off.

"Yeah," he said breathing heavily. "I didn't want to...you know since we..." he rambled. I nodded understandingly.

"I get it, and I'm glad you made that decision before it was too late." He laid back down, and I followed.

He directed me to lay my head on his chest, and when I did, he immediately intertwined one of his hands with mine, using the other one to put around my waist. We spent a few minutes in silence, to take in everything that had just happened.

"Go out with me," Luke said suddenly. I looked up at him, and he was smiling widely.

"What?"

"Go on a date with me," he clarified. My stomach flipped, but in a good way. "Friday night?"

"Sure," I said still looking at him. He placed a light kiss on my forehead, and I laid back down on his chest. I happily sighed, content with how this whole thing was playing out so far.

Luke sat up seconds later, and I looked up at him with a confused expression.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he said pointing to the tent he'd pitched. I laughed and he blushed, quickly making his way out of my room.


	23. Joy

Kate's POV

**Friday**

When I woke up, I got ready for school like normal. Luke ended up staying at my house for the rest of the week, only leaving for school, band practice, or if he had to go home when he needed more clothes.

He drove me to school instead of Calum, and for every class we didn't have together, we would secret text each other the entire time. I felt like things were finally able to go back to normal, and life was playing out well.

Wednesday was when I got a text from my dad.

**Da(vi)d**   
_I talked to my boss and explained to him that you'll be home alone for the entirety of my trip, and he said the company will pay for you to fly out here and stay with me until the job is done. This is only if you want to though. Please respond as soon as you decide._

I wasn't sure if I wanted to take him up on his offer, so I didn't respond. Things were finally back on track with Luke, and I didn't want to jeopardize anything by leaving for weeks on end.

I thought about the offer every day since I'd gotten it though because although I wanted to spend more time with my mom and dad, I wanted to do it in the comfort of our own hometown, or when they weren't working every hour of every day.

I stopped on that quickly though to focus on the upcoming date I had with Luke later. He woke up about thirty minutes after me to get ready for school. He took a shower, same as I, and he got dressed in under ten minutes.

He came downstairs and ate breakfast with me, which was just some random fruit I chopped up and put in a small bowl. We made light conversation until we were done with our food.

"So, are you excited for our date tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I responded shrugging.

"You guess?" He raised his eyebrow, and I laughed at him.

"Of course I'm excited for our date Luke," I said smiling. By this time, we were both done without fruit salads, so he leaned in and left a lingering kiss on my lips.

"I am too, more than you could imagine," he responded when he came up. Like every other time I've ever been around, talked to, or even kissed Luke, the butterflies in my stomach went absolutely crazy.

An alarm went off on my phone, signaling that if we didn't leave now, we'd be late for school. I got up and headed towards the door, and Luke followed. He grabbed his keys from the rack, and we headed outside to his car.

He opened my door for me and went around to get in himself. We pulled off minutes later.

Once we got to school, we headed straight for our lockers to get our books. Luke walked me to my first class, kissing my temple before he left.

"I'll see you later, okay?" I nodded, and he walked to his class.

During the next class we had together, he sat beside me and kept his hand on my thigh. The same thing happened during lunch. After that, we didn't have any more classes together, so I just texted him until we met up again at the end of the day.   
.  
.  
.  
I was at my locker putting all of my books away when he came up beside me.

"Ready to go yet?" he asked as I was putting in the last book. I shut the door and faced him.

"Yup, all good to go," I said. We walked towards the front of the school building, and Luke wrapped his arm around my waist. We walked outside and got in the car. He drove to my house, and just like all week, the hand he wasn't using to steer the wheel was rested comfortably on my thigh. The entire ride we were silent, but it was a nice silence.

As soon as we got to my house, I was about to get out, but Luke stayed still. I looked over at him with a confused expression.

"You're not coming in?" I asked. He shook his head in response.

"Nope, I'm going to my house to get ready. I'll be back at around seven though," he explained.

"Okay." I kissed him on the cheek before getting out of the car and heading up the driveway to my front door. I was at my door, about it unlock it, when Luke's car window rolled down.

"Bye, Kate! I lo-I'll see you later!" he called. I waved before unlocking the door and walking into my house. I sighed deeply and went upstairs to find something to wear.

I didn't know where Luke was taking me for our date, so I decided to go with a dressy-but-casual look. I pulled out a black skirt that hit right above my knees, a white camisole, and a floral cardigan. I accented that with a pair of silver flats.

I went over to my vanity to do my hair. I straightened it quickly, and I added two lace braids going to the back of my head. I pinned them in place, and I left my room to brush my teeth in the bathroom. Even though I'd brushed them this morning, it never hurt anyone to brush more than twice a day.

When I got back to my room, I applied minimal makeup. I went for a basic mascara and eyeliner. I didn't typically wear makeup much, only for special enough occasions.

Once I was done getting ready, which took me a total of two and a half hours, I sat on my bed and played games on my phone to wait until Luke came back to pick me up. Fifteen minutes later, I heard the front door being unlocked, which could only mean one thing.

I resumed playing stuff on my phone trying to beat a level in a brain game I was playing before I went down so we could leave. Just as I was about to complete the level, I heard muffled talking downstairs. so I got up to go see what it was.

I tip-toed quietly down the stairs and through the kitchen, where I stood in the doorway. Luke didn't notice me. He was talking softly, almost like he didn't want anyone to hear. He was in the middle of a sentence, but I only caught the end of it.

"...I love you," he said in a serious tone. My heart stopped. What? Who was he talking to because it certainly wasn't me? I stood there for a few more seconds, just to see if he meant it in a different context or if he didn't mean it in the first place. All the while, my heart was slowly breaking into two, and it hurt was worse than any physical pain I could ever endure. "Yeah?" he asked the person he was talking to. "Alright, bye."

There was a bright smile etched into his face, but I couldn't bear to look at him anymore. I stared and stared at him until he finally noticed I was standing in the doorway. I held a straight face, but my non-fazed façade was slowly washing away, making a frown appear.

When Luke finally realized that I heard what he said, his eyes widened. Tears started to blur my vision, but I held them back. I would not allow myself to cry in front of him. I couldn't. That was all I seemed to do though, cry about boys.

"Kate, I-I'm-" he stuttered, but I cut him off before he could try.

"Who were you talking to?" I questioned.

"Caitlyn," he answered. His head dropped so he was looking down at his lap.

"Is this a joke?" I asked out loud. He shook his head slowly, and I threw my hands in the air out of frustration. "I knew it. How could I have been so blind?" I turned and speed-walked out of the family area, and I heard footsteps following closely behind me. When I got to the door, Luke grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him.

"Please, just let me explain," he begged. I yanked my arm from his grasp, and I folded them across my chest, impatiently waiting for a response. A few minutes went by, and he didn't say anything, so I turned back around and opened the door, more than ready to leave.

"Bye, Luke," I said walking away.

"Kate, I-I-" he started. I stopped in my tracks.

"You what?" I questioned. He froze again, and my anger started the boil over from the silence. His mouth opened for a moment like he was going to speak, but he closed it again. A few more minutes of this silence went by. I stared into his eyes, awaiting an answer and giving him a couple more minutes for an explanation. He still said nothing. With every second that went by, my heart slowly ripped more and more. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. "Listen to me Luke," I started. "Don't call or text me unless you have a legit reason for all of your bullshit," I spat. I could see him visibly flinch, but I didn't care.

I sped down the driveway, and I ran away from my house, not wanting to even be near Luke any longer. I felt so stupid.

I couldn't believe I made the same mistake twice, and it was hitting me even harder the second time. By now, the tears had been let loose and were uncontrollably streaming down my face. It felt like someone was pressing down on my chest and wouldn't let up. I couldn't physically stand up, so I sat down on the nearest curb to just let it all out.

I was so tired of crying because that seemed to be the only thing I ever did anymore. It made me feel weak, and I wanted so badly to be strong.

I tried wiping the tears, but like always, it didn't work. I pulled out my phone to call someone to get me. I dialed Calum's number, and he picked up on the second ring.

" _Hey, what's up?_ "

"C-Cal?" I called out, confirming that it was him.

" _Kate, what's wrong?_ " he asked in a worried tone.

"I-Me and Luke were about to go on a date, but we just had a fight, and I left. N-Now, I'm sat on a curb about four blocks from my house. C-Can you please come and pick me up?" I asked. My voice was shaky, and it gave every time I tried to start a new sentence, but Calum understood.

" _Uh, okay."_ I heard shuffling in the background, which could only mean he was moving around. " _I'll be there in five._ "  
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Luke's POV

Once I got to Kate's house, I used the key her mom had made for me to let myself in. I made my way to the family room to wait for her, but about halfway there was when my phone rang. I looked at my phone to see the caller to be Caitlyn. I had called her a few times on my way here, but she didn't answer any of them. I quickly accepted the call, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Caitlyn," I breathed. "I'm so nervous."

" _What? Don't be. You've known Kate for like all of your life,_ " she said.

"I know, but I've never taken her on a date," I whispered. I sat down on the largest couch when I finally entered the room.

" _It's just a date. You'll be fine._ "

"This isn't just any date, Caitlyn. I'm going to tell her how I feel on this date. I'm going to finally tell her that I'm so in love with her that it hurts sometimes. I'm going to be laying my heart out on the line," I said quickly but quietly.

" _You're serious?_ " she questioned. I could see her raising her eyebrows in my head because she always did that when she was confirming something she thought someone was joking around about.

"I'm serious." I played with the loose fringes from the hole at the knee in my jeans out of pure nervousness. "So how should I do it?"

" _I don't know. Do it however you want._ "

"Should I say I love you, I love you, or I love you?" I questioned smiling.

" _All three, Luke,_ " she huffed out of annoyance. It was so funny when she was mad. She just got really pissed at the world for some reason, and it was just fun messing with her.

"Yeah?"

" _Yes_."

"Alright, bye," I said ending the call. I sat quietly for a few seconds before I started looking around the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure standing in the doorway of the room. I quickly turned around, and my eyes widened at the sight. Kate.

I wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, but I didn't want her to know what I said. It would seem so bad from my end, especially since she could only hear my side of the conversation.

"Kate, I-I'm-" I tripped over my words, but I was cut off before I could explain myself.

"Who were you talking to?" asked sternly.

"Caitlyn," I replied. I dropped my head out of shame, even though I technically didn't do anything wrong.

"Is this a joke?" she questioned out loud, her attention focused on the ceiling. I shook my head slowly, being honest, but she was beyond angry. Her hands flew up in the air. "I knew it. How could I have been so blind?" She walked away quickly, and I got up to follow after her.

Even though I wanted to tell her how I felt when we were on the date, I had a feeling that the plans were changing. It was now or never. When she got to the door, I grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around so she was facing me.

"Please, just let me explain," I pleaded. She yanked her arm away from me and folded them across her chest. My brain was running a thousand miles a minute with everything I wanted to say, but my mouth wouldn't open. Minutes flew by. After I didn't answer, she turned back around and opened the door.

"Bye, Luke," she said walking away.

"Kate, I-I-" I started. I was yet again cut off.

"You what?" she snapped. I opened my mouth, willing for the words to come out, but nothing happened. More minutes passed. My body physically wouldn't let me say it even though I wanted to so badly. Her eyes were staring straight into mine, and the more minutes that went by, the more hurt she seemed to appear. "Listen to me Luke," she started once I didn't say anything. "Don't call or text me unless you have a legit reason for all of your bullshit," she spat. I was taken aback by her words and her harsh tone. I flinched a little out of hurt, but I'm sure she didn't care at the moment. She was pissed.

She turns and walked down the driveway pretty quickly, and she ran down the sidewalk, away from her house. Away from me.

I went back into her house and sat on the stool in the kitchen.

"Fuck, what have I done?" I asked myself. I sat trying to process all of the things that just happened, and I realized just how pointless this whole thing was.

If I would've told her from the beginning how I was feeling, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess now. I thought I was being pretty obvious, but I guess she wasn't catching on like I thought she would.

I wanted to tell her, I really did, but the words seemed to get trapped in my throat every time I tried to speak about it. That fact wasn't helping the situation at hand, and it was incredibly frustrating.

After a few more minutes of sitting around, I go up to go after her. I could let her slip away again, not that easily. I could draw her back if I tried hard enough, and hopefully, my best was good enough for her.

I hurriedly ran out of the house, grabbing my car keys and my set of keys to the house on the way out. I quickly got in my car, driving off as soon as I turned it on.

I rode past her house on the right until the end of the street, but I found nothing. I went the other way, but I didn't think she would be there, since she lived in a neighborhood with a roundabout at the end.

I parked my car on her street, right outside of her house, and I got my phone out to call her.

I dialed the number I've known by heart since I was about fourteen as fast as my fingers would take me. I got no answer. I tried again, and this time, it went straight to voicemail. I tried a third time, but there was still no answer, only the sound of her programmed voice telling me to leave a message.

I threw my head back, beyond angry with my own decisions that were wreaking havoc on my love life. Why couldn't I ever just be happy? I wanted to cry, but I knew I had to keep myself together if I was going to go through with this.

With my phone still in my hand, I unlocked it to text her.

**Luke**   
_Kate, please come back. I have something I need to tell you, and I can't keep it in any longer._

I waited a solid five minutes, but I still didn't get a response.

 **Luke**

_It's not what you think...I can explain. Please, I'm just so afraid of losing you. I don't want to lose you. I'm so sorry, babe._

After waiting another ten minutes without a text back, I finally just gave up. I was running out of energy to waste on this entire ordeal, but I knew I still wanted her in my life.

She wasn't a waste of time. I didn't regret any of the last couple of months except for one thing: making that deal. That was probably the worst thing I've ever done, and the second was letting her slip away the first time.

I wanted her in my life. I needed her.  
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Kate's POV

Calum arrived in five minutes just like he said he would. He didn't live too far away, so I knew it wouldn't take long. He pulled up alongside the curb and I stood up quickly.

He got out and came around to meet me, engulfing me in a warm hug. I was fighting the urge to start crying again, and for once in my life, it worked.

I hugged Calum back, and a few minutes later, we both pulled away and got into his car. He drove off, making our way to his house.

We were almost there when my phone started ringing. A picture of Luke flashed across my screen along with his name. I immediately decline the call and shut my phone off.

"Who was it?" Calum asked, looking at me momentarily before focusing his attention back on the road.

"Luke," I sighed. The rest of the car ride was silent. I wasn't in the mood to talk, and Calum wasn't asking any questions.

When we got to his house, we both got out of the car and went inside. I was met by the smell of Joy making dinner. We walked through the kitchen to get to Calum's room, but we were stopped by Joy greeting us.

"Hello, Kate. How are you? I haven't seen you in ages," she asked.

"I-I'm alright," I responded. She studied my face for a moment before speaking again.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, I just argued with a friend. It's no big deal," I explained.

"No big deal?" I nodded. "But you've been crying. Are you sure you're okay?" I nodded again.

"I'm sure I'll get over it soon," I said forcing out a smile. She sent me a warm one back, and Calum and I proceeded to his room.

"Cal," Joy called. He turned around waiting for her to speak. "Dinner will be ready in an hour or so if you guys are hungry." He nodded, and we left the kitchen, going straight to his room.

Once we got there, I sat on his bed, and he sat next to me. We spent a few minutes in silence before he spoke.

"What'd you guys fight about to make you so upset?"

"He told Caitlyn that he loved her, and not just playfully. It was in a serious tone. He couldn't even give me a reasonable explanation," I huffed.

"What the fuck? Why would he do that?" he questioned.

"Like I know! He wouldn't even tell me."

I rested my head on Calum's shoulder, which was surprisingly comfortable.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation, Kate. I don't think he would do something like that," Calum stated. The room fell into another silence for at least a few minutes before it was broken again.

"It just hurts so bad, Calum," I cried. I wasn't afraid of letting my emotions show around Calum. I knew he would never judge me. He was the best friend I could ever ask for.

"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay," he tried comforting me. He wrapped his arms around me, holding on tight.

"It doesn't feel like it." The tears falling from my eyes were uncontrollable at this point, and all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep.

"It may not right now, but I swear everything will be right soon."

I looked up at him, and I stared for the longest time. I inched in little by little, and after a few seconds, our lips were pressed together.

I stayed still, the same as he, but with all of the events that happened today, I made the first move. I cupped his cheeks, and he slid his tongue through my already parted lips. His lips were so soft, it was like a dream.

Not long after, I straddled his waist and managed to get his shirt off. My fingers fiddled with the hairs on the nape of his neck as we continued to make out.

Seconds later, I was also out of my shirt, and things were starting to get a bit more heated. Calum flipped us over so that he was on top and in control. His lips made their way across my neck and collar bone, but I was sure he wasn't going to leave any marks.

When he was about to come back to my lips, he stopped suddenly.

"What the fuck did we just do?" he asked breathlessly. I didn't respond, I just stared at him with a blank expression. "Kate, we can't do this. This," he said waving between him and me "can't happen. You're so in love with him. I know you are, so don't try and deny it. We can't go about it this way, it's not fair," he said frantically.

Still, I stared, expression blank and eyes fixed on absolute nothingness.

"I understand. I'm sorry," I apologized.

"It's fine. We just can't let this happen again, okay?" I nodded, and he got up to put his shirt back on. I did the same.

I started to think about the text my dad sent me a few days ago, and with every second that passed, the offer became more inviting.

I'd messed up so much within the last couple of weeks, and all I needed was some time away from everyone.

Calum left the room, and I turned my phone back on. Once it was unlocked, a few messages and missed calls popped up. They were all from Luke.

**Lukey <3**   
_Kate, please come back. I have something I need to tell you, and I can't keep it in any longer._

**Lukey <3**   
_It's not what you think...I can explain. Please, I'm just so afraid of losing you. I don't want to lose you. I'm so sorry, babe._

I decided to ignore him. I didn't care anymore anyway, especially if he told me he would explain but then didn't. I wasn't about to go in circles with him anymore.

I found my dad's name, and I sent him a quick message.

**Kate**   
_What about school?_

He answered minutes later.

**Da(vi)d**   
_I'm glad you answered my text finally, but your teachers have emailed me your work for the next two weeks, and you'll complete it here and turn it in when we get back. It's all been planned out, I just need to know if you want to come or not._

**Kate**   
_When's the flight?_

**Da(vi)d**   
_It's scheduled for tomorrow afternoon._

**Kate**   
_Okay, I'm in._

I felt a wave of relief wash over me when I pressed send. I knew it was a bad thing to run from your problems, but I just wanted some thinking time alone. I wanted to process everything that's happened.

Calum returned, and he looked at me, probably trying to calculate my level of distress.

"Can you take me home tomorrow morning and drive me to the airport after that?" I asked suddenly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"I'm going to America with my dad for two weeks while he's on business. I really miss him, and he said the company would pay for my ticket there since he and my mom would be away for so long," I explained, but Calum stood unmoving.

"Okay...what about Luke?" he questioned.

"I don't know right now, Calum. I just want to get out of here and away from everyone for a while. I need a little bit of time to think this all out because I've really screwed up," I rushed.

He was about to speak, but a yell throughout the house cut him off.

"You guys, dinner is ready," Joy called. I stood up from Calum's bed and walked past him, leaving him standing in the middle of his room trying to process what I just said...


	24. Traffic

I woke up on Calum's bed. We were so far apart from each other that Calum was practically hanging off the side. This was the complete opposite of how Luke and I slept.

I got up to use the bathroom and was immediately put in a not-so-good mood when I felt a few sharp cramps, indicating my monthly visit was near. I tried taming my hair in the mirror and I looked in Calum's cupboard for extra toothbrushes. Once I found one, I tore it out of the packaging, and I brushed my teeth quickly before exiting the bathroom.

When I came back, Calum was awake. His hair was slightly messy, but it worked for him.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, sure," I said quickly. Calum got up from his bed and went into the bathroom. He can out a few minutes later with a beanie on.

We exited his room and went towards the front of his house. Once we got there we opened the door, Calum grabbed his car keys, and we left.

When we got in the car, Calum started it, and we drove off almost immediately. It took about seven minutes to get to my house from Calum's, and when we got there, he followed me to my front door.

I unlocked it, when I walked in, I headed straight for my bedroom. I pulled out a few pairs of sweatpants and a couple of loose-fitting tee-shirts. I got about a week's worth of jeans and pretty shirts, and I also took out a few cute dresses. I grabbed about four pairs of shoes, three were converse and the other were sandals, and I placed them all neatly into the suitcase.

I left my room to get my toothbrush. I put the protector on the brush part, and I grabbed my toothpaste. I also got out some pads and tampons from under the counter because I was lucky enough to wake up with my period one the way.

I took all of my hygienic things and put those in my suitcase as well before zipping it shut and carrying it down the stairs. I left it by the door.

I went to my dad's office to print out the plane ticket, and when that was done, I was all ready to go. I walked to the family area to find Calum, but I didn't expect to see what I saw.

Calum was sat on the couch watching television, and Luke was sitting on the floor, back against the couch, on his phone. I decided to ignore Luke completely and carry on with my plans.

I always like to get to the airport at least an hour and a half before my flight was scheduled to take off. It just ensured that everything would go smoothly, and if it didn't I would have a surplus of time to get things back on track again.

"Calum, I'm ready to go now," I said catching the attention of both boys.

"Okay," he said standing up. Calum and I walked out of the family area and towards the front door.

"Going where?" Luke chimed in. I turned around and faced him.

"I'm going to the airport. My flight leaves at half-past twelve."

"Why?"

"I'm going to America to be with my dad for two weeks," I explained. His jaw dropped.

"Does this have anything to do with-"

"No, Luke. Not everything is about you. I'm going because my parents are always away, my dad in particular, and I miss them a lot. Why pass up a chance to spend some time with them for a couple of weeks uninterrupted." I rushed, but I knew that was only part of the reason. I started heading for the car, but I was stopped again.

"If what happened yesterday would've never happened, would you have passed on your dad's offer?" he asked suddenly. I had no reason to lie, so I told the truth.

"Most likely, yes." I stilled loved Luke, no doubt, and I stilled cared about him. Even though I told Calum I didn't know, I was still sure about my feelings. I didn't know what to feel like when he told Caitlyn that he loved her. I thought it would've been me, but I guess not.

"Can't you just stay, please? Give me some time to explain," he pleaded. I nodded and stood in my place. He blinked rapidly, and I could've sworn his eyes were glossing over.

"I'm going, and the decision has already been made. My thoughts and emotions are all over the place right now, and I just need to think everything out by myself. Honestly, I want to be done. I want to be done with this whole thing, and don't like this circle we keep going in. It isn't healthy, and it makes my head spin. If you have anything you want to say to me that could possibly save us, say it now." I stood in front of him, and a good couple of minutes passed where there was complete silence. When he didn't say anything, I walked away. I gave him so many chances, and yet he failed to try at least once. I couldn't do it anymore. "I'll see you later Luke," I spoke gently.

I could see his whole world crumbling right in front of him. His face went pale, but his eyes were wild. It was quite the sight.

I got into Calum's car without another word, trying to get as far away from Luke as I possibly could.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Calum questioned.

"Yes, if I didn't want to, I wouldn't. I just need a break," I replied. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window.

"I get it," he said. Those were the last words spoken throughout the entire thirty-minute car trip.  
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Luke's POV

I watched Calum's car pull off, and I lost it. I sat in my car moping around for a good ten minutes, contemplating all of my past decisions.

Why couldn't I have just told her before she left? I had to tell her before she left. I couldn't let her get on that plane without knowing how I felt about her. I wasn't going to let it end like this.

I had to catch her, and if I didn't make it in time, it would be the worst mistake I've ever made. I couldn't let her go, not this easily.

I started my car and drove away from her house. I raced down the highways trying to get to the airport as fast as I could.

Everything was going fine until the traffic started to pile up. I had ten minutes left to get there, but the traffic added another fifteen or so.

Kate's flight was scheduled to leave at half-past twelve, and it was currently ten minutes until twelve. I still had time.

The deeper I got, the slower the traffic moved. I started to get frustrated with myself, this situation, and the traffic that was making my life seemingly harder.

I didn't want to start crying, but it was too late. I felt a single tear hit the top of my lip, and I wiped it away frantically. I drove forward a couple of hundred feet, and the road was basically cleared out.

"Thank you, Jesus," I said out loud.

I sped up and took the next exit to the airport. I made it there with about eight minutes to spare. I still had to find somewhere to park though, and that took up almost half of my time.

Once I found an empty space, I got out of my car quickly locking the doors and running into the airport. I searched around apprehensively, the knot in the back of my throat growing bigger with every second that passed where I couldn't find her.

About three minutes until her boarding time, I spotted a blonde ponytail standing in front of my best mate. I made my way through the crowd of people so I could get to her.

"Kate!" I called out. She spun around, and we made eye contact. I took long strides over to where she was standing, and I asked Calum to back up discreetly.

"Luke, what are you doing here?"

"I have something really important to tell you. Please, just listen to me." I rubbed my sweaty palms against my shirt. She rose her eyebrows waiting for me to speak. I opened my mouth, but the words weren't coming out.

" _Flight three, zero, six, eight, you may start boarding your flight. You have approximately ten minutes to be on your plane,_ " the woman on the speaker announced.

"Luke, I have to go," she said turning away. Fear bubbled up inside me, and all I wanted to do was let her know.

"Wait!" She turned back around. "I-I-I," I tripped over my words, and I mentally cursed my tongue.

"Luke, I really have to go. I don't want to be late. I'll see you later," she said hurriedly. It started to get really hot in the airport, and I started to shake a little. My adrenaline was pumping, and I could feel my pulse quickening behind my ears. This was my last chance, and I couldn't let it go to waste.

She was about fifty feet away from me when I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Kate, I love you!" I shouted over the crowd. She stopped in her tracks, the people behind her being caught off guard and almost running into her. They have her weird looks, but I'm sure she didn't care. She turned around, and I quickly made my way up to her.

"What did you say? Luke, are you-" she asked, but I cut her off. The words were falling out of my mouth, and I couldn't stop them.

"I love you. God, I'm so in love with you it hurts sometimes. I've known it was you for a long time though, and I don't know why I'm just now telling you, but I couldn't let you leave and not know. Yesterday when you heard me on the phone with Caitlyn, I was practicing for you because I was so nervous. I don't know why I couldn't just say that, but the words started to get caught in my throat, and I was so nervous. I wanted it to be perfect, special, anything you could ever imagine. I realized that I need you, and I can't get enough of you. I always want to look at you, touch you, cuddle with you, kiss you, whatever we do I don't care as long as it's with you. I want to be with you because without you, I'm nothing. You make me want to be the best person I can be because you're so damn beautiful in every way. I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is I love you a lot, and I don't think I'll ever stop," I confessed. She stared at me with wide eyes, and I fought the urge to smash my lips against hers. "Please, don't go. We can make this work," I begged.

"I have to now. They've already paid for the ticket, but I'll be back soon. I promise," she said. She pulled me in for a hug by the waist, and she buried her face into my chest.

"Fuck, I love you so much." I was pretty sure I was crying at this point because I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Kate was crying too, almost as much as I was. I cupped her cheeks in my hands before slowly pressing my lips to hers.

Even though everything around us was moving incredibly fast, our kiss was slow and gentle, full of affection and need. We kissed for a solid two minutes, Kate gripping the back of my shirt tightly in her fist like she thought I was going to disappear. I didn't want to let go either.

" _Flight three, zero, six, eight, this is your final call. You have five minutes to board your plane, so please make your way to your designated gate within the next two minutes,_ " the speakers projected.

We pulled away, and Kate's eyes were full of sadness. I grabbed her hand in mine and looked her straight in the eye.

"You'll be back before you know it. Don't worry about it. I'll be here waiting for you when you come back," I said softly. She nodded and pulled me in by the neck for one final kiss.

"I love you, Luke," Kate spoke. My stomach did a ton of flips, by her returning the gesture. I didn't know she felt this way as well, and it felt so good that I could finally say it out loud without being scared.

"And I love you, baby. So much," I replied kissing her on the forehead. "Have a safe flight. I'll see you when you get back. I love you." She nodded and walked away with her suitcase following after her.

I went over to where Calum was standing and gave me a light pat on the back.

"I'm proud of you mate," he said. I smiled, feeling the overwhelming burden being lifted off my chest was the best thing ever. I finally confessed my love to the one I loved, and I couldn't have asked for a better response

I couldn't get rid of the strange tingling that was surging throughout my body, and I didn't know if I wanted it to go away in the first place. Even though she would be gone for two weeks, I knew that when she came back it would be worth the wait. This moment was worth the wait.

"Thanks, man," I replied, the brightest smile permanently etched into my face. We walked outside the airport and we headed in the direction of where I parked.

"No, I'm being serious. What you did back there took some major balls, and I'm glad you both finally admitted to your feeling for each other instead of hiding them from the world," he reiterated. I nodded along. "So what are you going to do while she's away?"

I shrugged, not really having a solid answer. "I'm probably just going to text or talk to her every day until she comes back."

"That's fair," he said.

"I guess so. I mean, what else could I do?" When I got no response, I continued. "All I can do is wait. This is my own fault though because if I would've said something yesterday, she wouldn't be gone right now, but I'm not going to focus on that. I'm going to focus and what I can do to keep Kate and I's relationship strong, so we can have that as a basis when she's actually my girlfriend," I rambled. Calum seemed to be fine with it though.

We both got in his car, and I showed him where I was parked, which was on the other side of the lot. Once we got to my car and thanked Calum for driving me, and he pulled off.

I then got in my own car, starting it and driving away seconds later.  
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Kate's POV

I quickly put my suitcase through baggage, and I boarded my plane. Luckily, I had a window seat so I wouldn't be bothered the entire flight.

I still had tears in my eyes and on my face from Luke and I's exchange in the middle of the airport.

I couldn't believe he said that, and I couldn't believe he was practicing for me when he was talking to Caitlyn. I'm not sure why he couldn't have just said that, but then again, I understand how nerve-wracking it could be.

I felt bad for being spiteful and impulsive because of my feelings. I regretted everything that happened between Calum and me last night, and I would do anything to take it back, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.

I felt bad for being mean to Luke when he didn't say anything. I didn't know the full story at the time, and I should've been calm in that instance, but I was hurt. Most of my own mistakes were the cause of my leaving in the first place.

I was going to be in America for two weeks, and I didn't want to go anymore, but the decision had already been made. I was already on the plane, and there was no turning back.

"Please turn off all electronics until we say they are allowed back on," the person on the speaker instructed.

I was about to do as they said when I got a text from Luke.

**Lukey <3**   
_Have a safe flight, text me when you land. I love you <3_

**Kate**   
_Okay, I love you. :)_

I turned off my phone and stared straight ahead. I wasn't very tired, but I would be on this plane for sixteen hours, so I decided to sleep. I closed my eyes, and after about 20 minutes, sleep finally overtook me.


	25. Fight

Calum's POV

When I got off the intersection, I found the nearest gas station so I could refill my car. I pulled up next to a pump, and my phone started ringing. The caller I.D. flashed Michael's name, so I answered quickly.

"Hey, Mike. What's up?" I asked. I went inside to pay for my gas, and I had to wait in line once I got inside the station.

" _The ceiling,_ " he responded sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. " _But in all seriousness, are you up for a band practice later?_ "

"I don't know, mate. I'm probably not going to be into like I should, but I'll still come," I said flatly.

" _Why? What's wrong?_ " he questioned in a worried tone.

I shrugged even though he couldn't see me, and when I looked up, it was my turn at the register. I paid the guy behind the counter, and he gave me a receipt in return.

"There's a lot on my mind right now, I guess." I walked outside towards my car and began to fill my tank.

" _Like?_ " Once it was nice and full, I got back in my car, started it, and drove off.

"I wanted to tell you in person. Meet me at my house in about an hour. Ask Ashton to pick you up, but do not invite Luke," I instructed.

" _What did you do?_ " he asked in a panicked tone. I sighed, not even believing the words that were about to leave my own mouth. I couldn't believe I was so so dumb to let something like that continue in the first place, let alone happen, but I couldn't keep it in anymore. I had to tell someone.

"It's bad Mike, so bad, and Luke can never find out," I said lowly, even though I was the only person in my car. I kept driving towards my house, the only thing running through my mind was the fact that what happened between Kate and me could potentially ruin the relationship I had with her and one of my best friends.  
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When I finally got home, I threw my keys on the table and headed straight for my room. My mom gave me questionable looks, but I guess she decided not to ask. I laid on my bed, trying to come up with the best way to tell Michael and Ashton the news.

About thirty minutes later, a knock on the door sounded, and I jumped off of my bed to answer it. Just like I'd expected, Michael and Ashton were behind the door when I opened it. I let them walk past me, and I shut the door once they were both in.

We went to my bedroom, and I sat down with a sigh. Michael took the bean bag chair, and Ashton sat on the rolling one that was apart of my desk set. I started getting nervous when they just stared at me, waiting for me to speak.

"What's your news?" Ashton asked, finally breaking the unbearable silence that had spread throughout the room. I ran a hand through my hair and took in a deep breath before I talked.

"I kissed Kate, and we didn't just kiss. We literally had a full-blown make-out session," I confessed. My head dropped as soon as the words left my mouth. I was ashamed. I knew of the feeling both Kate and Luke had for each other, yet I still let something stupid happen.

She was hurt, and I knew that. I wasn't supposed to kiss back, but she was a girl, and I couldn't help myself. I hadn't kissed a girl in weeks, and it was all because Kate didn't want me to mess around with girls anymore. I was trying to be a better person, but I ruined it all with one slip-up.

"What?" they both said at the same time. I nodded, confirming the ugly but true reality. In a way, I felt like I took advantage of her for that short time we were kissing, but I stopped my thoughts from going that far because I was the one who stopped it. The entire situation could have been a lot worse if one of us didn't come to our senses.

"Yeah..."

"Why would you do something like that, Calum? Are you crazy or stupid?" Ashton yelled. I bit my lip as his words cut straight through me.

"I don't know, she was-" I started, but Ashton stopped me mid-sentence.

"You know how he feels about her, and I'm sure you know how she feels about him too. God, this is messed up," he stood up and started pacing around the room. Michael sat frozen, probably not sure what to do or say.

"Ash, I wasn't trying to. Yesterday before their date, they got into a fight, and she called me to pick her up because she was outside sitting on a curb crying. I was just trying to help, and during my little therapy session, we somehow ended up making out on my bed," I explained, still looking down at my lap.

"Have you told Luke yet? Has she told Luke?" Ashton questioned. I shook my head, and he threw his hands in the air, groaning loudly. "Why the fuck not?"

"Kate left about an hour or two ago," I squeaked, afraid to talk any louder. I knew this was bad, but my friends were making it seem a lot worse than I had actually thought it was.

"Where'd she go?" Michael piped up.

"She went to America to stay with her dad. She'll be gone for two weeks," I said softly. Michael's eyes widened, and a frown appeared on my face.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Calum?" Ashton's whole face was red. I'd rather have him yelling at me for this than to have complete silence and understanding. That would make me feel incredibly guilty.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell him after they'd both just fucking said they loved each other! We've all been waiting for them to say it for ages, and I wasn't going to ruin the moment by saying that I literally made out with her the night before!" I screamed back. Michael covered his ears like a frightened puppy, and I cursed myself for scaring him, but I was beyond angry at this point.

"Wait, they confessed?" Ashton asked, coming to the realization of what I'd just said. I nodded, and he let out another huge sigh. "This is so fucked up."

"Don't you think I know that? He was crying, she was crying, and I was not about to ruin that for them. That's why he can't know," I huffed. Michael squirmed a little. I could tell he was beginning to get really uncomfortable.

"Guys," he tried, but it was no use. Ashton and I were both fuming.

"You have to tell him! You can't let their relationship progress without him knowing, Calum! That isn't fair," Ashton kept scolding me like I was a child.

"Guys, stop," Michael tried again. It still didn't work. You could tell by the look on his face that this exchange between Ashton and I was painful for him to watch. He didn't like it whenever any of us argued, so we tried our best not to do it in front of him, but it was slipping today, everything was.

"That's Kate's decision, okay? If she wants to tell him, I'll take half of the blame, but if she doesn't we won't bring it up. Simple as that," I said, attempting to calm myself down.

"This is such bullshit," Ashton said, storming out. Michael didn't follow after him either. After a few seconds, I heard the front door slam, and I saw Michael flinched.

After that, silence washed over the room and Michael sat still on the beanbag, not moving at all.

"Michael, I'm-"

"Don't. Just leave me alone for a little bit," he demanded, cutting me off.

I walked towards the door, head hung low. I felt awful because of the way this entire thing played out. I had two best friends angry at me and one who was soon to be.

"I'll be in the family room playing video games if you need me," I said, hand on the doorknob. When he didn't say anything, I left without another word.  
.  
.  
.  
Kate's POV

I was wakened up by a flight attendant when the plane landed. I stood up and stretched my limbs after being cooped up on a plane for so long. It was nine in the morning from what I heard circulating around the plane.

I was asleep for most of the ride, except for the few times I had to get up to change my pad, which sucked.

Once, they allowed people to get off the plane, I followed behind everyone who was waiting their turn to depart. As soon as I got off, I made my way to baggage claim. I collected my one large suitcase and headed to the waiting area of LAX to look for my dad.

I found him standing by the exit of the airport, checking the time every few seconds. I walked up to him, and he noticed almost immediately.

"Kate!" he exclaimed. I pulled him in for a hug, and he instantly wrapped his arms around me.

"Dad, I missed you so much," I said, my voice being muffled from my face being buried in his shoulder. I felt like a kid again.

"Same here, I'm so glad you decided to come," he said. He grabbed the handle of my suitcase and we started walking towards the exit.

"Me too," I responded half-heartedly. I missed my dad tons, but it was starting to hit me how long I was going to be away from Luke. I was going to be away for two whole weeks. The only form of contact I had with him was by video chat or text, and I could only do those things if I had wifi because my cellular provider wasn't international.

I decided to worry about that problem only when it came up and focus on the time I got to spend with my dad instead.

"So, what are your plans while you're here?" I asked when we got the rental car. I hope it wasn't going to be a busy business trip.

Usually, when my parents had to take really long business trips, all of the time they spent away wasn't for work. They would most likely have a few meetings spread out from the time they left until the time they got back, and they never came back home in between because it would be a waste of a trip.

My dad probably only had like four meetings throughout this whole trip, and they were most likely spread out across the span of three weeks, so I was sure he had a lot of free time on his hands.

"Well, I have about seven meetings left," he started. I guess I was wrong, and he would be really busy on this one. "Two are scheduled for tomorrow. I have one on Monday, two Tuesday, and then I'm off for the rest of the week." Never mind. "On our last week here, I have another meeting scheduled on Monday and one more on Thursday. Then, we'll leave on Friday," he explained.

"So, you're busy for the first few days that I'm here?" I questioned, clarifying what I already knew. It kind of sucked that my day would be incredibly busy for the first few days that I was in America, but at least he had over five days off.

"That's right," he said sadly. "But hey, At least I'll be free for a while afterward." A smile appeared on his face, and then mine not long after. I really did miss him. Even though he hadn't even been away for long, the number of times he's been away times how long he's been away was really starting to take a toll on me, and I blame that as the reason for me becoming so clingy all of a sudden.

When we finally got to the car, my dad put my luggage in the car while I got in, and he also goes in minutes later. He drove us to the hotel we'd be staying in for the next couple of weeks, and I was in awe as soon as I saw it. The building was breathtaking, to say the least, and I couldn't imagine what it looked like on the inside.

He continued to drive, and we parked in the hotel's parking garage. We got out, and he got my things out of the trunk. We walked into the hotel from the side entrance because my dad was already checked in.

I grabbed my suitcase from him as we approached the elevator.

"Our rooms are on the fourth floor," he informed. Our?

"Our rooms?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I got you a separate room from me. It's about three doors down. I figured you'd at least want your own space."

"Dad, you did not have to do that," I said quickly. I couldn't believe he would do all of this for me. I knew the company paid for him to fly here, get a rental car, and a really nice hotel, but everything else he did was out of his pocket. I was sure these rooms were really expensive as it was.

"I felt bad for leaving you alone all of the time. Your mom and I always leave you to fend for yourself for weeks, and when we come back, we leave again. I'm really sorry, honey." The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and we both got out. It was really peaceful.

My dad handed me the key card to my room, and I wheeled my suitcase along behind me. Once I got to my room, I flopped down on the bed. I laid down for a while before searching the desktop for the wifi passcode.

When I found it, I connected my phone and I texted Luke.

**Kate**   
_Hey, I just got to my hotel :) I don't know what time it is there, but it's like ten in the morning here. Text me whenever you get this...x_

I waited a while, and when I didn't get a response, I left my room to find something to occupy myself. I went back downstairs and found that there was a game room, a pool, and a theater where they were starting a new movie soon.

I quickly went back upstairs to find my key card so I could get in to see the movie, and I also went to my dad's room to ask for some cash so I could buy snacks. I would do whatever it took to get my mind off of Luke so I could actually enjoy my trip.

I hurried back down to the lobby, and I bought some candy and a bottle of water. I made my way to the room that they were showing the movie in, scanning my card before walking in. I found a seat towards the middle of the room, and I sat down.

The movie started playing almost immediately, and I relaxed. I guess this would be the way I would have to have fun while I was away from all of my friends and while my dad had meetings. It seemed alright, especially since I had more time than ever to think.

.  
.  
.  
I left as soon as the movie was over to head back to my room. I got on the elevator, and when it opened at my stop, I was met with my dad.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted walking out of the lift. He gave me a small wave.

"I'm just going to the lobby to get more bottled water because I ran out of supply in my mini-fridge," he explained with I smile. I nodded and walked past him, letting his journey be continued uninterrupted.

I unlocked the door when I got to my room, and I sat down on my bed. I realized that I'd left my phone while I was downstairs watching the movie, so I turned it on to check for new messages. There weren't any.

I rolled over and laid there for a few minutes. I was about to close out of pure boredom, but my phone dinged, signaling that I'd received a message.

I picked it up quickly and smiled when I saw Luke's name on the screen. I unlocked my phone to see one message, but after a couple of seconds, two more popped up.

**Lukey <3**   
_Sorry, I just woke up...How was the flight?_

**Lukey <3**   
_I am so bored right now_

**Lukey <3**   
_I miss you, come back :-(_

I could imagine him literally whining as he said these words in real life. It was cute how he got all whiny when he wanted something.

**Kate**   
_It was fine and same. It's so boring here. What time is it there?_

I got a reply almost instantly like he was waiting for me to text back ever since he sent the first message.

**Lukey <3**   
_It's like seven a.m. What about you?_

**Kate**   
_Almost one in the afternoon...ugh this sucks_

**Lukey <3**   
_I know, but we can work through it..._

**Kate**   
_But you have school tomorrow and my dad has two meetings scheduled. I'm going to be all alone._

**Lukey <3**

_I'll text you tomorrow, don't worry._

I let out a long sigh, coming to terms that leaving Australia wasn't the best decision. To be honest, I didn't know Luke was going to say that at the airport. If he would've told me earlier, I probably would've stayed.

**Kate**   
_I want to talk to you...FaceTime?_

**Lukey <3**   
_Sure_

Not long after, my phones started ringing. Luke's picture and name flashed across the screen. Unlike a couple of days ago, I answered as quickly as my fingers would let me.

" _Hey,_ " he spoke first. A small smile was resting on his face, and it wasn't helping.

"Hey." His hair was messy, and he was lying in with his head propped up by a pillow. He looked tired, but happy nevertheless. I bit back a smile of my own.

" _I miss you a lot, and I know it's only been a day, but it's true,_ " he said slowly. I huffed and sat up quickly and got up to get some water.

"Same here. I don't know why I had to run from all of my problems instead of just attacking them head-on," I confessed. Oh no. I didn't mean to say that, but it was too late.

" _You left because of me?_ " he questioned, eyebrows raising.

"Not entirely," I responded, and he sighed. I felt bad for bringing it up. Luke was part of the reason I left, but that was before I knew how he actually felt, and by the time he told me, the decision had already been made. I couldn't take it back even if I wanted to.

" _Can we just-can we not do this right now?_ " he pleaded.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you," I said softly. I put my phone down to open my water, and I took a few sips. The line was quiet for a moment, and when I picked the phone back up, he was just staring at me, not saying a word. "What?" I asked giggling lightly, and he just shrugged."

" _I don't know. I just-I love you,_ " he stated. This was pure torture, and I couldn't take it.

"Stop, Luke," I groaned. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

" _Why, I thought-_ " he started, but I cut him off.

"Yes, Luke. I love you, but you can't just say that when I can't do anything about it. You don't understand how much I want to kiss you right now, but we're so far apart. I want to come home," I explained. His features softened, and he started shuffling around. He got up from the bed he was laying in, and I recognized the headboard almost immediately. "What the heck. Are you in my room?" I laughed, and he pulled a face at me.

" _What? I told you that I missed you._ " He winked, and that ever-so-familiar swarm of butterflies went crazy in my gut.


	26. More

Kate's POV

**Two Weeks Later**

My first week in America wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and the second wasn't either. It was just really busy.

After my dad was done with all of his meetings for the week, we had a really nice time. It felt good to catch up and spend a little bit of quality time with him for once.

We visited a lot of Los Angeles attractions, and we took super awesome photos. It was fun, and I actually began to be happy that came. The only bad thing that happened was my dad getting scheduled for an extra meeting on Tuesday, so he was completely busy that day as well.

Once he was free, we went literally everywhere. We went to a restaurant to eat every night, and we got up early to have a continental breakfast in the hotel's lobby. My dad and I would usually get room service for lunch, but it was fine because the food was amazing.

I also went to the indoor pool my hotel had a couple of times after buying a swimsuit while my dad and I were out.

I didn't keep in much contact with Luke because timezones weren't on our side. Plus, he had school, so when I was awake to talk, he couldn't. It really sucked, but we tried our bests to keep things going. After my first few days here, we started video chatting less, and the texts came in less frequently as well.

Sometimes, I didn't even get a 'good morning', and when I sent him one, I got no response.

It saddened me a little, but I knew I was going to go back home soon. Then, I could be with Luke and all of my other friends again.

I dragged myself out of bed so I wouldn't miss breakfast. I quickly brushed my teeth and hair to make myself look more presentable, and I put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

I walked out of my room to go to the elevator, and when I got to the lobby, my dad was already there. He was sitting down, on his iPad, drinking a coffee. On the plate in front of him, he had a stack of pancakes and a few links of sausage.

"Hi Dad," I greeted. He looked up and gave me a wave before focusing his attention back on his work.

I went to the buffet to make myself a waffle. Once it was done cooking, I added some blueberries and a maple syrup drizzle. I also got some orange juice, and I ate my breakfast whilst sitting next to my dad.

"Kate, I have a meeting today, and then we'll be able to head back home tomorrow," he said. I nodded along, chewing my food as I listened to him speak. "I've had fun here, but I miss home. I can't wait to get back."

I swallowed the piece of waffle I had in my mouth and chased it down with juice before adding input of my own. "Yeah, it's nice out here, but same, I miss Australia and my friends there."

The waitresses came out of the kitchen and started cleaning up the buffet and everything in it. People went up to get some final breakfast selections so all the food wouldn't go to waste. I told my dad I was going to go back to my room, and he was fine with that, so I headed that way.

I laid down on my bed and started playing a puzzle game on my phone when an incoming call popped up on the screen. It was Luke trying to FaceTime me. I answered hesitantly, not sure if I actually wanted to speak to him or not.

"Hi," I said softly. It was close to nine in the morning for me, so I didn't understand why Luke would be awake.

"Hey," he mumbled. It was dark in the room he was in. I could barely make out his face.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Like..." He clicked the screen to check the time, and he made a face. "Almost four in the morning."

"Luke, why are you still awake? Don't you have school?" I questioned. He nodded and rubbed his eyes. He looked really tired from what I could see.

"I haven't been able to sleep," he said. He rolled over so that he was laying on his side. "I miss you so much."

"Luke," I sighed. I put my hand over my face and let out an annoyed groan. If I could get on a plane I would, but I couldn't until tomorrow. This was all my fault. "I'll be back tomorrow don't worry," I tried soothing him so that maybe he could fall asleep soon.

"Baby, I can't sleep without holding you," he whined. My heart melted, and I wanted nothing more than to just hug him, but there was so much distance between us.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm okay for now," he grumbled.

"No, you need to get some rest. I'll stay on with you until you fall asleep," I told him, being honest. As long as it would take for him to fall asleep was as long as I would stay on the call with him.

"Okay..." he dragged out. His eyes lit up all of a sudden, and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Guess what?"

"You're tired now?" I guessed raising my eyebrows. He shook his head.

"Not quite. My parents came home last night," he said still smiling.

"Nice, maybe ask them if you could stay home today to catch up on your sleep? It would make me feel better," I pushed. He thought for a second before answering what I said.

"I might. Babe, I'm so fucking tired," he groaned. He rolled over so he was on his stomach, and he put the phone directly in front of his face.

"Go to sleep then," I urged. He frowned and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them back up a few seconds later and huffed.

"I can't. I want to cuddle," he said sternly. He rolled over once again so he was lying on his. He stayed that way for a while before he actually sat up.

"I would if I was there." I also sat up and crossed my legs. Some of my hair fell into my face, so I tied it back using the hair tie that was on my wrist.

"Come back then."

"Tomorrow," I laughed.

"Fine," he yawned, and I laughed even more. "What?"

"You're sleepy," I noticed. He pulled a face at me which made my laughter continue.

"No, I'm-" he paused to yawn again. "Not."

"Luke, go to sleep. I'll be home before you know it, and we can cuddle all you want," I tried persuading. He yawned again after a moment of silence. It was cute how he would deny that he was sleepy just so he could stay awake and talk to me.

"Fine, I can't wait," he said. He added a wink, which made me smile. "I love you, bye." I blew him a kiss before he hung up, and when the call was over, I flopped back on my bed.  
.  
.  
.  
Luke's POV

I woke up to the sun beaming through the crack of my dark-colored curtains, and I groaned. I finally fell asleep, but I was still drained. I then remembered school, and I jumped up from my spot on my bed and raced down the stairs.

There, I found my mom sitting at the table typing away at her laptop.

"Good morning, Luke. How did you sleep?" she asked. I raised my eyebrows and walked towards the table, pulling a chair out and sitting down once I got there.

"It was okay. I'm still really tired though. I didn't mean to skip school, I just-"

"It's fine, son. I was going to ask you if you wanted the day off anyway. You seemed a little out of it when we got here last night. Are you okay?" she cut off my rambling but still focused the attention on me. I didn't think my parents were ready to hear the real reason why I haven't been as into life as I could be, so I decided to hold off on telling her.

"I'm alright, but I haven't been sleeping very well for these past couple of weeks. I'm not entirely sure why though," I lied. She nodded along, still typing stuff and barely paying me any real attention.

"Are you tired now?"

"A little..." I trailed off.

"You have the whole day to do nothing," she started. "Go back to sleep if you want to."

I went back up to my room, and I got back in the bed. I turned on my television and grabbed my Xbox controller from off of my bedside table.

I then realized that I had to get back out of bed to turn the Xbox on and change the game if it wasn't FIFA. I got up with a groan and slowly walked over the console to turn it on. I pressed the eject button to check the disk, and since it was FIFA, I went back to my bed.

I laid down, propping my head up with a couple of pillows, and I pulled my duvet up to my chest. I used the controller to pick my team, and I quickly started the game.  
.  
.  
.  
Playing a bunch of matches in FIFA really did help me get my mind off of Kate, but once I was done, it was straight back to her consuming most of my thoughts. This was torture. I didn't want to go any longer with her, but I still had over half a day until she left LA.

I didn't know what time her flight was, but I was sure she'd tell me. I wanted to be the first person she saw when she got back, and I was beyond excited.

I checked the time, and I realized that school was out. I quickly dialed Ashton's number and invited him over. Twenty minutes later, he walked through my bedroom door.

"Hello, Luke," he greeted, a bright smile accessorizing his face, as always. I waved, and he pouted. "You didn't show up to school, and when I get here, all you give me is a wave? How rude," he said giggling.

That made me laugh, and I swung my legs over the side of my bed before getting out of it. I went to my dresser to get a shirt out, and I pulled it over my head.

"I'm sorry, I've just been unenthusiastic about things ever since she left," I frowned, but it was quickly washed away when I remembered the events that were going to take place tomorrow.

"Calum told us about what happened at the airport," he started. " I'm happy for you guys."

I smiled. That day was one of the best days of my life so far, and I just wished she would've stayed. I had severe separation anxiety after those first few days. It was ridiculous actually.

I didn't want to talk to her as much because I knew that I couldn't do anything about when I told her I loved her, or if I said I missed her. There was nothing I could do because I wasn't with her, and that made me really sad.

"Yeah, I miss her. A lot," I said frowning again.

"C'mon mate, cheer up. She'll be back tomorrow," he stated patting my back. I tried smiling a little, but it didn't work. Nothing would make me happy until she came back. It was like she took my heart with her, and I couldn't get it back until she came back with it.

"I'm trying," I huffed, but Ashton wasn't buying it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he questioned. I thought about it for a second before realizing that it was just Ashton. I nodded, and we both took a seat on my bed.  
.  
.  
.  
A few hours after Ashton left was when I started talking to Kate again on FaceTime. She was really giggly for some reason, and it was hilarious to watch.

She was telling me some crazy how this little girl was questioning her about her accent.

"And she was like, Are you an alien or something? I was so confused, and I looked at her in the strangest way. Her mom had to apologize for her, and she literally dragged the poor kid out of the store." She erupted into a fit of giggles.

I laughed along with her before things got really quiet. All of a sudden, she jutted her bottom lip out, and I knitted my eyebrows together, silently questioning her actions.

"I miss you," she admitted softly. "I don't want to wait for tomorrow. I want to leave right now."

"It's just a few more hours, baby. Then, I'll cuddle with you," I winked, and I saw the blush creeping up her neck and filling her cheeks.

"I want to have a really heated make-out session," she said innocently. The room grew hotter, and my pants started to get tighter.

"Stop," I whined.

"What?" she asked. She knew what she was doing, and she was playing a not so fair game.

"I'm sexually frustrated, Kate. Stop right now," I tried. She took her hair out of its ponytail, allowing it to frame her face, and removed the sweatshirt she was wearing. She was definitely provoking me.

I heard a knock on her door, and she got up quickly to answer it. She was gone for a while, and in that time, I decided to take care of the problem arising in my pants. I didn't want to have to deal with this for another twenty-four hours.

When Kate finally came back, she sat on her bed lazily, a prominent frown etched into her face. She looked the complete opposite of what she did before she got up to answer the door.

"Babe, what's wrong? Who was-"

"It was my dad," she cut me off. She was still frowning, and I just wanted to know what he could've said to make her mood drastically change within the course of two minutes. "He couldn't get an open flight until next Friday. I have to spend another week here."


	27. Work

Kate's POV

"I'm sorry," I said, but he was speechless. "Luke..." I tried again.

" _K-Kate, I need a second. Can I call you back in a few?_ " he asked. I wasn't ready to get off yet. I didn't want to stop talking because of the bad news my dad dropped on me, which I, in turn, dropped on Luke.

"No, Luke, we can-" The call ended, and I let out a low huff.

I got up from my spot on my bed to get water. My head felt like it was spinning, and all I wanted was to go back home. This entire trip, even though it was sort of fun, was a downward spiral. 

It was late, so I decided to get ready for bed. I prayed that this was all a joke and we actually go home as we planned.

I completely ditched trying to get ready for bed to pack my suitcase. Originally, we were supposed to leave midday Friday, so I took out a comfortable shirt and a pair of leggings to wear on the plane and sleep in.

I also thought it would be a good idea to take a shower, so I went into the bathroom and started the water. Unlike at my house, it got hot almost immediately.

I grabbed a towel and washcloth before going to the main section of my room to get out my shampoo. When I returned to the bathroom, I stepped out of my clothes and into the shower.

The water was warm against my back, and it relaxes me in a way. I was still a little tense, but it helped some.

I couldn't believe all of the flights back were booked for an entire week. That made no sense to me.

I washed my hair before getting out of the shower, and I dried off. I went back to the main part of my hotel room, and I put on my clothes.

I went to the air condition control panel to turn the heat up. Being that it was pretty hot in LA, it was super cold in my room.

I moved my suitcase, and I sit down on my bed. After a while, I got under my duvet and tried to relax. I wasn't tired, so I decided to see if Luke would want to talk.

**Kate**   
_Luke..._

I waited for a few minutes, and when I didn't get a text back, I closed my eyes. Sleep overcame me soon after.  
.  
.  
.  
Luke's POV

When Kate told me that she wasn't coming home for another week, I was devastated. I was so excited for her to come home, and the news broke my heart a little.

All of the waiting and anticipation I had while she was away was growing higher and higher by the day, as it got closer to her return. Now, I was really drained, and it wasn't like earlier when I was just tired and needed rest. I was emotionally drained.

I felt like I could cry, but I didn't want to do that. Instead, I called Calum to see if he wanted to talk.

After about two tries, he finally picked up the phone.

" _Luke?_ " he questioned. He sounded like he was out of breath, but I decided not to question it.

"Who else?"

" _I don't know, I thought maybe it could be Kate or someone. You usually give up on the first try,_ " he explained. My heart clenched at the mention of her name, but I kept my cool.

"Mate, she not coming back for another week. What am I going to do?" I told him. He sighed and started speaking again after a brief silence on the line.

" _Really?_ " I nodded even though he couldn't see me, still not really believing it myself. " _I'm sorry. I could understand how much you miss her._ "

"Calum, this isn't fair," I huffed. I got up from my bed and started pacing around my room.

" _Well, all you can do is wait. You said that yourself the day she left,_ " he said, and I rolled my eyes out of annoyance. He wasn't helping like I thought he would. There was something off about him, I could tell in his voice.

"I don't want to wait anymore!" I shouted childishly. "Fuck, I just want her back," I calmed down.

" _I get it, I really do, but there's nothing you can do about that._ "

I pulled the phone from my ear for a second to process all of what was actually going on. My phone buzzed and I quickly looked at it to see a message from Kate.

**Kate xx**

_Luke..._

I didn't want to talk to her. I wasn't strong enough to cope with the fact that I was going to have to wait another week to see her. It could almost make me have a breakdown.

I pulled to phone back to my ear, and Calum was still on.

"Fine, I'll wait," I sighed.

Calum and I talked for a little longer before we said our goodbyes and hung up. I still didn't want to talk to Kate, but I texted her back anyway.

**Luke**   
_I miss you </3_

I didn't get a response after a while of waiting, so I decided to go find something to do that would take my mind off of her. I was sure it wouldn't work completely, but it would direct my emotions in a better direction.

It was more of an outlet to put it simply, and I already had some ideas in my head. I was going to write.  
.  
.  
.  
Kate's POV

I woke up to the bright sun shining through the curtains I forgot to close. I got out of bed slowly and headed for the bathroom.

I used the toilet and brushed my teeth before going back to where my bed was. I got my hairbrush out of my suitcase, brushed my hair, then put it into a messy bun.

I was moping around, which is super depressing, but I felt like I was. I just wanted to go home, and my dad didn't book our flight like he was supposed to, so I was stuck for an entire week. It wasn't fair.

After an entire hour of doing nothing, there was a knock on my door. I got up quickly to see who it was.

I pulled the door back to reveal my ever-so-incredible father. Note the sarcasm.

"Yes?" I asked in an annoyed tone. I looked a little shocked at my attitude, but honestly, I could care less.

"Can I come in?" I stepped out of the way and opened the door a bit wider so he could enter. Once he was all the way in, I shut the door.

I sat down on my bed and crossed my arms, waiting for him to say whatever it was that he needed to tell me.

"So, I checked my email this morning and I saw something that I missed before," he started. I rose my eyebrows motioning for him to continue. "I bought a plane ticket a week ago that's scheduled to leave today. It's only one though, and since you seemed so down yesterday after the news, I thought you should have it."

My jaw literally dropped, and I was speechless. Words couldn't describe how happy I was that I would get to go home.

"Are you serious? Is this, like, a joke or something?" I asked in excitement and disbelief. He shook his head confirming my thoughts. I was going home. I jumped from my position on the bed and leaped into his arms. "Thank you so much, dad," I said.

I was on the verge of tears because of how happy I was. Even though he confirmed it, I still couldn't believe it.

When I finally let him go, he took something out of the pocket of the cargo pants he was wearing. It was a sheet of paper.

I opened it up and saw it to be the plane ticket. My face lit up, and I quickly stuck it in my suitcase.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. I hope this makes up for it," he responded.

"Definitely." I was still smiling, and I went in for one more hug. When I let go, my dad left, and as soon as the door shut, I squealed.

I took the plane ticket out to check the time of the flight, and it was scheduled to take off in four hours. My luggage was already packed up, so all I had to do was wait.

I didn't want to go back to sleep because I wanted to sleep on the flight, and I didn't want there to be a chance that I was going to miss my flight. Instead, I decided to watch some television and do nothing for a whole two hours.  
.  
.  
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After watching a ton of random shows, it was time to leave the hotel so I could go to the airport. I put on some comfortable shoes and grabbed my suitcase.

I left my room and went to knock on my dad's door. He opened it within seconds and we both made our way downstairs.

When we got to the lobby, I turned my key card into the front desk, and we went through the side door to get in the car.

My dad drove for about fifteen minutes before we finally arrived at the airport. Excitement and nerves were making my brain run a mile a minute, and I was just ready to get on the plane.

Also was going through security, I realized that I didn't have a ride for when I got off the plane. There was no one to take me home, and I didn't want to call a cab. I was also planning to surprise Luke, so I couldn't call him.

I took out my phone and dialed Ashton's number. FaceTime audio was my best friend during this trip.

" _Kate!_ " he shouted through the line. Startled, I pulled the phone away from my ear. Once I felt like he was done, I brought it back.

"Hey, Ash. Instead of next week like my dad said, I'm coming home today. I wanted to surprise Luke, so I was wondering if you could pick me up when I got back in?" I explained.

" _Yeah, sure. What time does your plane leave?_ "

I took out the paper to double-check the take-off time before I responded.

"It leaves at four in the evening L.A. time," I informed. The line went silent again, and Ashton came back a few minutes later.

" _Okay, so you'll probably land at around three in the morning. I'll be waiting for you then I guess,_ " he said.

The intercom called for my flight to start boarding, so I started walking towards my gate. I put my suitcase in baggage and made my way to the plane.  
.  
.  
.  
I woke up to bumping and shaking. When I opened my eyes all the way, I noticed that we were landing. I clicked my phone on the see that the time was close to three in the morning like Ashton said.

I didn't sleep for the first eight hours of the flight. I entertained myself with my school work and by reading some of the books I needed to for my literature class.

I quickly exited the plane and went straight towards baggage claim. Once I collected my things, I went out to the waiting area, and there I found a sleepy-looking Ashton.

As I got closer to him, he looked up. A smile instantly appeared on his face, and he stood up to hug me. I gladly hugged back.

I was more than thrilled to be home, and I knew I was just about thirty minutes away from my love. I couldn't wait.

Ashton let go first, and we walked towards the exit and to his car. He rolled my luggage along for me and put it in the backseat when we got to the car.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I'm going to be sick, but in a good way," I replied laughing at the end.

"Aw, Kate's in love," Ashton exclaimed giggling. I smiled at him and gave a solid nod.

We both got in, and Ashton started the engine. There was officially half an hour until I got to see him.


	28. Guitar

Kate's POV

Ashton and I made light conversation all the way to my house. He dropped me off and walked my luggage up to the door for me. He got back into his car, and I waved goodbye.

"I'll see you later, Kate!" he called. He waited until I successfully got into my house before he pulled off.

It was almost four in the morning, but I wasn't tired at all. The jet lag from my trip was going to be a monster.

The familiar scent of my home filled my nostrils as I stepped through the door. A wave of relief washed over me on my walk up the stairs. It felt so good to finally be home.

Los Angeles was fun and all, but being around people I knew in the comfort of places I knew was much better. Everything felt better when you were around what you knew.

The most thing I'd been waiting for was to be in my own bed again. I'm not going to lie, hotel beds were super comfy, but there was no topping the softness of my bed.

I walked into my room and flicked the lights on. I was planning to put my suitcase in the corner of my room, near my closet, and flop onto my bed, but I saw something I didn't expect to.

There was a long lump on my bed, the duvet making a hill by the person under it. I got closer to find short blonde hair messily sprawled out across my favorite pillow.

"Luke," I whispered. He didn't move, so I tried tapping him. That didn't work either. I kneeled on the bed before calling his name again.

He rolled over and gripped the pillow next to him tightly. His entire face was flushed, and his eyes were kind of puffy. It honestly looked like he'd been crying a lot before he fell asleep.

I tried waking him again, but that just made him hold onto the pillow he had even tighter. I called out his name a few more times, and he finally opened his eye, squinting at the sudden brightness.

Once his eyes adjusted, he focused them on me, and he just stared. I don't think he believed I was really there.

"Kate?" I nodded, but his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Am I dreaming?" he asked. His voice was hoarse.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes for a moment, still not believing that I was clearly sitting right in front of him. I reached out to touch his hand, and he flinched a little.

"Luke, I'm here," I said quietly. "I'm home." His features softened, and he sighed. I took a brave step and cupped one of his cheeks. He visibly relaxed.

"When? How?" he asked.

"My dad forgot he had already bought a ticket before, so he gave it to me. It was just on though, so he won't get here until next week," I explained. It didn't seem like Luke was really paying me any attention, as he was staring off into space.

He was probably really tired, and from what I could see, he definitely was. He snapped out of it a few seconds later and nodded to tell me that he got what I said.

"Cuddle?" he asked sleepily. I took off my shoes and got back onto my bed, crawling under the covers.

Luke instantly wrapped his arms around my waist, and he pressed a light kiss to the back of my neck. I grabbed his free hand and laced it with mine.

I wasn't tired at all, but I was going to go back to sleep anyway. Luke tangled his legs with mine before I heard him sigh.

"I love you, Luke," I said quietly. I thought he was asleep, but it was clear that he wasn't when he responded.

"I love you too, baby."  
.  
.  
.  
I woke up and immediately checked the time. It was a little past twelve, so I decided I was going to start my day. I tried getting up, but the more I moved, the tighter Luke held onto me.

"Luke, let me go," I said. He didn't listen, so I attempted to break free once more. He still wouldn't let go. "Luke," I groaned.

"Don't leave," he whined.

"I need to get up. Let go." Eventually, he gave up by released me from his grasp. I went straight to the bathroom.

I brushed my teeth and used the toilet before washing my hands. I went back to my room to brush my hair, and I saw that I was like a bird's nest on the top of my head.

It was so tangled as I tried to pull the brush through it. After a good ten minutes of brushing, my hair was tangle-free. I let it stay down instead of putting it back into a ponytail.

I was going to get back in bed, but my stomach growled. I went downstairs to the kitchen to find food. I settled on a granola bar and an apple.

Once I was done eating, I threw away my trash and cleaned off the counter. I found a pack of gum with only three stick left, so I took one and put in my mouth.

I went back to my room, where I found Luke sitting up. He was shirtless, just like I'd found him last night, but his lower half was still covered by the duvet.

He looked refreshed, and he smiled at me when I walked through the door.

He got up quickly and left to go to the bathroom, I assumed. When he came back, I was cleaning out my suitcase and putting things back where they needed to go.

I took all of my dirty laundries and put them in the washroom. I planned to go back later to sort and actually wash them.

I put all of my toiletries back in their rightful places, and when I was finally done cleaning up, I put my suitcase into my closet so it was ready for the next time I had to use it.

I cleaned my room a little more until it looked like I wanted it to. By the time I was done, Luke was back in my room, sitting on my bed. He'd put a shirt on and he still wore the same sweatpants he left the room with.

I sat down next to him, but he had other plans. He pulled me onto his lap and quickly attached his lips to my neck. Oh.

"Luke," I said trying to get his attention, but it came out as more of a moan. "Luke, what are you doing?" I asked, finally able to find my voice.

He still didn't respond. He just continued working his lips all across my neck, mumbling swear words as he did so.

"I missed you so much, Kate." He moved from my neck to my lips and forcefully slipped his tongue into my mouth. I was confused.

We'd barely said two words to each other all morning, and now he wanted to make out with me. I know I said I wanted it when I was in America, but I wasn't really in the mood at the moment. I kissed back anyway though.

I moved a little so I was straddling his waist, and I hooked my arms around his neck. He lowered us back slowly, but the kiss was not broken. We made out for a few more minutes before I pulled away.

"Luke, I don't want to...um," I trailed off. He nodded, understanding. He sat up, taking me with him, and I remained in his lap.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to go any further than we did. I didn't know what was stopping me, but all I knew was that I wasn't mentally ready. Sure, my body was all up for it, but I was scared.

He intertwined both his hands with mine and leaned in to kiss me again.

"It's fine, we don't have to if you don't want to," he said, kissing me in between almost every word. I smiled and laid my head down on his chest, happy that he was understanding.

"Thanks, Luke. I thought you would freak out on me or something," I chuckled. I lifted my head up to look at him, and he was raising his eyebrows.

"Why would I freak out on you?" he asked. I shrugged, not really having a solid reason.

"I don't know, maybe because we haven't done anything in a while, and I just got back from LA," I tried explaining. His eyebrows knitted together, showing that what I said confused him. "I don't know. I just thought that maybe you'd want to go further than we did."

He thought for a second before speaking. "We go as far as you want to. I mean, yeah, it would've been nice, but it's your call. If you don't want to do anything like that right now, we won't." He pressed a light kiss to my forehead, and I let out a long sigh.

I laid back down on him, and silence fell over the room. We were quiet for a long time, and I was convinced that Luke was asleep again. We had been up for a few hours, and we slept in, so I didn't see how he could be tired.

I was deemed wrong when Luke spoke for the first time in twenty minutes.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" I mentally slapped myself for not saying yes right away, but he caught me off guard.

"Like, I feel like we've been in a relationship for a while, but I haven't really made it official, so...will you do me the absolute honor and make me the happiest guy alive by being my girlfriend?" He was smiling widely, and I couldn't help but smile too.

We both leaned in at the same time until our lips met. It was short-lived but sweet at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess," I responded playfully. He pulled a face at me, and I laughed.

"You guess?"

"Yes, Luke Hemmings. I'll be your girlfriend," I said kissing him again.

I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I didn't know what to describe it as. It was stronger than those butterflies I was used to.

"I love you, Katherine. I love you so much." He placed his hands on my sides and pulled me closer to him if that was even possible. I cupped his cheeks and smashed my lips against his.

"I love you too, Luke," I replied breathlessly. He sat up all of a sudden, making me fall backward. I laughed, but it soon died down and my face held a confused expression.

Luke quickly got off my bed and headed out of my room. I followed him down the stairs and to my family room.

I watched as he picked up a guitar from the corner of the room, and he looked at me. I was still confused, but I slowly made my way into the room.

I sat on the chair opposite of him, and he started playing a melody that I was unfamiliar with. He stopped after a few seconds, and that's when I questioned him.

"Luke, what are you doing?"

"I wrote this for you while you were gone. I just finished it last night before you got here, and I thought now was a good time to sing it for you," he explained, smiling.

I was speechless. Why on earth would he write a song for me? I wasn't sure what it could be about, so I just listened.

He started playing that same mystery riff again, and I sat quietly, waiting for him to start singing.

For a while, we pretended that we never had to end it, but we knew we'd have to say goodbye.

You were crying at the airport when they finally closed the plane door. I could barely hold it all inside.

Torn in two, and I know I shouldn't tell you, but I just can't stop thinking of you.

Wherever you are, you, wherever you are.

Every night I almost call you, just to say it always will be you, wherever you are.

He was smiling while he played that same riff he had been throughout the entire song. The smile on my face was just as bright. I wanted to hug him so tight, but I also wanted to let him finish.

I could fly a thousand oceans, but there's nothing that compares to what we had, and so I walk alone.

I wish I didn't have to be gone. Maybe you've already moved on, but the truth is I don't want to know.

He went back to the pre-chorus he sang the first time, and I felt that same tingling in my stomach that just wouldn't go away. I don't think I wanted it to anyway.

Torn in two, and I know I shouldn't tell you, but I just can't stop thinking of you.

Wherever you are, you, wherever you are.

Every night I almost call you, just to say it always will be you, wherever you are.

You can say we'll be together someday, but nothing lasts forever. Nothing stays the same.

So, why can't I stop feeling this way?

He did a note change in that last part, and I literally turned to putty.

Torn in two, and I know I shouldn't tell you, but I just can't stop thinking of you.

Wherever you are, you, wherever you are.

Every night I almost call you, just to say it always will be you.

Wherever you are.

He strummed the final few notes on his guitar before he sat it on the space beside him.

I stood up at the same time he did, and I went over to him. I jumped into his arms, and luckily, he caught me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and hugged him tight.

He pulled away first and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"That's was so beautiful. I loved every second of it," I confessed. He smiled again and leaned in for another kiss.

"I'm glad, babe," he said. He walked forward until my back was against the wall, and he softly pressed his lips to mine, sighing into the kiss.

I tilted my head to the side, allowing him to deepen the kiss. I tightened my legs around his waist, closing all of the space left between us.

A low groan escaped from the back of his throat, and I tangled my fingers in his hair. His hands went up to my shirt, as he was trying to feel every inch of me.

"Kate," he moaned, removing his lips from mine and bringing them to my neck. "You're so beautiful."

He left long, slow kisses on my collar bone and all across my neck. He gripped my bare sides, and I let out a small yelp. I took my hands out of his hair, and they locked together around his neck.

He looked up at me for a moment before crashing his lips against mine again. Even though I was out of breath by this point, I could spend all day kissing Luke and not be tired.

He swiped his tongue across my bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss, and I gladly gave it to him. His hands found their way to the hem of my shirt, and he removed it quickly, tossing it somewhere on the floor behind him.

"Luke," I said as he reconnected our lips.

"Mhm," he responded, not being able to or wanting to form a coherent sentence. He ran his hand up and down my exposed thighs because of the shorts I was wearing, and a shiver raked through me.

"I love you," I finally spoke. He came up to breathe, and he was panting. Most of the words he said during this whole make-out weren't understandable, especially because he was breathing incredibly hard, but I clearly heard what he said next.

"Prove it then." He hooked his arms under my thighs as he started carrying me toward the stairs.

"Fine, let's go," I respond leaning in to kiss him again. He walked up the stair holding on to me securely, and the whole time, we never broke our kiss.


	29. Banding

Kate's POV

We stumbled our way into my bedroom, and Luke gently set me down on my bed. Luke's lips stayed attached to mine as I ran my hands across his chest. I climbed on top of him, and his hands found their way to my waist.

A fluttering in my stomach occurred and sat deep in my spine. I'd felt this before, but not in a long time.

I let my tongue travel to Luke's bottom lip, swiping it across to ask him for access. He let out a low groan, the familiar feeling of me doing these things with Luke at the beginning of our relationship made a wave of nostalgia wash over me.

His hands started making their way up my torso, squeezing my sides a little, while our tongues fought for dominance. He won, of course.

He flipped us over so that his body was hovering over me, and I helped him get his shirt off.

He removed his lips from mine and brought them to my neck. He bit down, sucking softly at the sensitive skin. I was sure he was leaving marks.

My hands moved to his hair, and I tugged on it gently, earning a moan from him.

"Kate," he whispered. I wrapped my legs around his torso, closing the gap between us. His hands reached up to my waist as he started slipping off my shorts so I was only left in my bra and underwear.

I did the same as him, using my hands to remove his sweatpants, and he kicked them off the rest of the way.

* * *

I could clearly see that he was hard from the bulge in his underwear. I felt him, and he shuddered. I knew it would drive him crazy, and that was exactly what I wanted to do.

He quickly kissed me again before he began to kiss down my body, his lips sponging kisses all over my chest and stomach. My hands went back into his hair again, guiding him further down, as he continued to leave short kisses on my skin.

"Kate, I want you so bad. I need you," he moaned as he brought his lips back to mine, forcing his tongue through them.

"Mhm." He undid the clasp that was holding my bra together, exposing even more of my skin and creating less of a barrier between us.

He leaned over and grabbed a condom out of my nightstand, most likely remembering where I told him they were from last time.

Again, he separated our lips and started leaving a trail of kisses until he was just above the waistband of my underwear. He slid them off and planted one final kiss just under my belly button.

He looked up at me, blue eyes sparkling in the daylight. I gave him a reassuring nod.

In one swift motion, he removed his boxers and rolled the condom on. I wrapped my arms around his neck, connecting our lips again as he lined up with my entrance.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded again and brought his lips back to mine. He pulled away again after a few seconds. "I just want to make sure you're comfortable, babe," he added.

"Do it," I encouraged him. He smiled before leaning down to kiss me again.

He slowly pushed into me, and it was a little uncomfortable. Even though I wasn't a virgin, the feeling of having Luke inside me was foreign. It didn't hurt at all, but it was uncomfortable.

He sighed as he pulled out and pushed back in, moving at a steady pace. After a few seconds, the uncomfortableness turned into immense pleasure.

The feeling was bliss. There wasn't any rush this time, and it meant a lot more because I wasn't trying to hide anything from Luke. I knew for a fact that he loved me, and I was sure that I loved him.

We weren't just doing this as a lesson or to take attention away from something else. We were doing this because we actually loved each other.

He started rocking in and out of me at a faster pace, but he slowed the kiss down.

His moans became louder and more frequent as he came closer to his release.

"Fuck, Kate. I'm c-close. I love you so much, baby."

His thrusts became uncontrolled, and his kisses became sloppier until he finally spilled into the condom.

The pressure that had built up at the base of my spine was finally at its bursting point. With one final push into me, I came undone, repeatedly calling Luke's name.

"I love you," I said honestly. He leaned down and pecked me on the lips before pulling out and discarding the used condom.

* * *

He came back seconds later with his boxers on, and he crawled into the empty space next to me. His arm instantly wrapped around my waist as he placed a light kiss right behind my ear.

"That was..." he started.

"Yeah."

I turned to face him, and he was smiling at me.

"Are you okay? I really wanted to wait since, you know, we just started a relationship. I didn't want you to think that-" he rambled, but I cut him off before he could finish.

"I'm fine, Luke. I would've stopped you when we were downstairs if I didn't want to," I told him.

"Are you sure? Because, earlier, you didn't want to, and I just wasn't sure if this was something you-" I stopped him again mid-sentence with a kiss, and I felt him relax.

"I'm all good. Don't worry," I said. He kissed me on the forehead before rolling out of bed and walking towards my bedroom door. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go take a shower. Want to come with?" he asked winking. My face heated up as I thought about all that could happen in a shower.

"Yeah, sure," I responded, taking a small blanket with me to cover up until I was actually in the shower.  
.  
.  
.  
After we got out of the shower, I went to my room to get dressed and Luke went to the laundry room to get his freshly washed clothes out of the dryer.

Nothing really happened while we were showering, at least nothing sexual. It was just he and I washing until we were clean, whilst making a pretty funny conversation.

He was being all cute while I was trying to wash my hair, which resulted in me getting shampoo in my eyes. He used that to his advantage though, stealing kisses almost every second that my eyes were closed.

Honestly, this whole relationship thing was no different than when we were just friends up until about three months ago. We practically did the same things except we could just be public about it since it was official.

He walked into my room fully clothed and sat on the edge of my bed ten minutes later. By the time I had all of my clothes on myself, Luke was otherwise occupied by his cellphone. The room was silent for a while until he spoke up.

"Ash just texted me and said there's band practice in, like, thirty minutes. Do you want to come?" he asked.

"I'll go," I responded. I walked over to my vanity to brush out my hair, and I put it into a braid so it could dry and be wavy.

Once I was finished tying the braid off, I rested my palms against the top of the vanity and let out a deep sigh. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, me taking in all of the events that had happened within the day.

Unexpected, I felt Luke come up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my right shoulder. He pressed a kiss right behind my ear, which made me giggle.

"What was that for?"

He laughed, "What? Can't a guy kiss his beautiful girlfriend without being questioned about it?" I turned around to face him, like all day, he was smiling.

"Why are you smiling so much?" I asked. He pressed his forehead against mine, and the feeling of raging butterflies surged throughout me.

"Because," he started, pausing by connecting our lips for a brief moment. "I'm in love, and I'm not afraid to let the world know." My heart leaped out of my chest, and my knees felt weak. My eyes fluttered closed, as he sealed his promise with another kiss.  
.  
.  
.  
Fifteen minutes later, Luke and I were in his car on our way to Michael's house for band practice. We arrived after a short fifteen-minute drive.

I hadn't been to Michael's house in a long time, but it looked the same as the last time I was there. We got out of the car, and Luke immediately took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers.

We never really held hands much, so it felt different. It was nice.

We walked to the backyard where the granny flat was located, and when we got there, I gently knocked on the door with my free hand.

"It's open!" a voice I'd recognized to be Michael's called. Luke pushed the door open and took the lead as I followed his thought the narrow opening of the doorway.

Immediately I was met by a Michael barreling towards me. He engulfed me into a genuine hug a rocked us from side to side dramatically.

"Hi, Michael," I said giggling lightly. He squeezed me even tighter which cause me to gasp for air. He pulled away but still held onto my shoulders.

"I missed you while you were away. I could have died out there all alone without the knowledge you provide for me to survive my everyday life," he proclaimed. He pulled me back in for another hug, and I laughed.

I had truly missed Michael and all of his sarcasm and dramatic behavior. It really made my life that much more interesting. He almost felt like a brother to me, and I was extremely grateful to have him in my life.

After a few more seconds, he let go for good, and it was on to greet Calum.

I walked up to him timidly and went in for a hug. It was stiff and awkward but it was nice to see Calum again, so I was fine.

"Kate," Calum sighed. I met eyes with Ashton, who was sitting on a soft chair, on his phone. It was almost like he was glaring at me, but he softened it with a smile.

His attention was focused back on his phone, and I tore my eyes away from the sight of him.

"Cal, hey," I forced out. He patted my back a couple of times before finally pulling away from the hug.

During the events at which I was tackled as soon as walked through the door, Luke and I's hands were disconnected. As soon as Calum pulled away, Luke joined them back.

"Woah," Michael yelled. "What's that?" he asked pointing to our hands. Luke chuckled softly, a shy smile made an appearance on his face.

We had already made it final, but I forgot that no one else knew but us. My cheeks heated up at the staring contest Michael was having with my hand in Luke's. I started swinging my free arm back and forth to basically confirm the relationship.

"Yeah, as of around noon today, Kate is my girlfriend," Luke confessed sheepishly. A hint of blush was covering his nose and cheek area.

He leaned down and nuzzles his face in the crook of my neck, his nose tickling me as he placed a few soft kisses there. Michael made an almost inhuman noise of disgust while watching our exchange.

"Get a room you guys," he said. That just made me laugh.

"Too late," Luke remarked. I hit him on the arm, but he continued to laugh.

A look of horror took over Michael's face, which made Luke laugh even harder. He covers his ears with his hands and shut his eyes tightly, and he started walking in circles.

"Eyes and ears, Mike. Eyes and ears," he repeated to himself.

A few hours went passed, and I was still sat in the granny flat in Michael's back yard watching my four best friends sing songs.

Most of their time was spent goofing off and making inappropriate jokes, and the small percentage where they actually did sing, they somehow made a joke out of that too.

The only thing that was off was the exchanges between Calum and Ashton. They were best buds the last time I checked, and for some reason, they both looked to be a little angry at each other.

I tried coming up with a reasonable explanation as to why they would even be mad at each other in the first place, but I couldn't come up with anything.

I chose to stop dwelling on the subject for the sake of my own sanity after trying to come up with something for a solid hour.

It was really late, and we had school the next day, so after they sang their last song of the night, Luke and I decided to go back to my house.

We exited the flat and told everyone goodbye before heading to Luke's car.

He opened my door for me and went around to his side to get in. His hand immediately found my thigh while his other was placed firmly on the steering wheel.

We were about two minutes from my house when Luke gave me a little news.

"I'm out of clothes, and I'm too lazy to wash. I'm going to drop you off and stay at my house tonight. Are you alright with that?"

"Yeah, that's fine. You're the one who's extremely clingy," I teased. He gave my thigh a light squeeze, and when I looked up at him, he was staring straight ahead at the road.

"I'm only clingy because I love you," he said turning towards me and winking. Cue the internal melting.

"Well," I sighed. "If it helps any, I love you just as much," I responded honestly.

"Never."


	30. Noodle

Kate's POV

The repetitive sound of my ongoing alarm is what brought me out of my sleep. I slept through most of the night, like usual, but without Luke being next to me, it was safe to say my bed felt pretty empty.

It was still a bit dark outside, but I could tell the sun was rising. Slowly, but surely.

I laid in bed for a couple more minutes before actually getting up to get ready for school. I went to the bathroom first. I used the toilet and brushed my teeth. I turned on the shower and waited patiently for the water to heat up.

Once it felt comfortable, I took off my pajamas and got in. The water felt nice against my back, and I tried not to get my hair wet, as I didn't feel like waiting for it to dry. It helped that I washed it yesterday. The braid I had in before was still present, and it would ruin my hair plans if it got wet.

I bathed quickly and got out as soon as I rinsed off completely. I grabbed a towel from the rack and securely wrapped it around myself. I turned the lights off and walked back to my room, where I would pick out an outfit for the day.

I put on some strawberry-scented lotion and my undergarments. Then, I walked over to my closet

As I looked through my closet, I couldn't help but think about Luke and me. It seemed as if all of this was happening so fast, but it was playing in slow motion. I was surprised it took me this long to realize my feelings for him, and I was glad that we were official. I had so many emotions with only a few ways to express them.

I found a pair of light-wash jeans, and I paired them with a plain white t-shirt and some white converse. I quickly got dressed before I took my braid out, revealing the flattering waves it left behind in my hair. I finger-combed it, separating a few strands, and I checked my appearance in the mirror.

I liked the way I looked today, which was shocking because I always thought I looked cringeworthy.

I turned off the lights in my room, and I made my way downstairs so I could find some breakfast. I settled with a bowl of cereal, and I took about fifteen minutes to eat. When I was done, I sat in the family area to watch television while I waited for my ride.

I was pretty sure Luke was picking me up, but I texted Calum not to come just so there was no confusion. I had my license, but I didn't have a car. I don't think my dad was willing to give me that type of freedom, even though I could just call one of my friends, or my boyfriend if I wanted to go somewhere.

Plus, my parents were almost always away, so their cars were usually at the airport. Even when they weren't, according to my dad, I wasn't allowed to drive them.

My mom was more lenient in that sense, but she still had to have the 'okay' from my dad. I didn't want to be the reason why they argued. That was the worst feeling in the world.

My dad said it was a possibility that I could have a car when I turned eighteen, but he isn't sure. A car would be the best birthday gift ever if you asked me.

After a few more minutes of mindlessly watching random shows, my doorbell went off. I walked up to my room to get my phone and the folder that had all of the work I did while I was away in it, and I went back downstairs to answer the door. Behind it stood Luke.

"Good morning, babe. How'd you sleep last night?" he asked pulling me into a hug. My hands found their way around his waist, as I hugged him tightly.

"It was fine, I guess. A little lonely, but fine," I responded honestly. He pulled away and kissed me on the cheek before taking my hand in his and walking us to his car.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you would miss me so much," he joked. Once we were settled in the car, he started it up again, and we drove off.

"I didn't miss you that much. I was just used to having you in my bed," I said. He looked over at me and bit his lip before bursting out into laughter. I was utterly confused. "What?" I asked, but he just laughed harder. After about half of the drive with Luke laughing uncontrollably, I finally realized how what I said sounded.

"I can't-" he started, but was cut off by his own laughter. "I can't believe you just said that." He finally calmed himself down enough to form a complete sentence, only to start laughing at me again right after.

"Okay, I get it. That was possibly the dirtiest thing I've ever said. No need to make fun of me for it." He drove into the student parking lot of the school and found a spot relatively close to the entrance.

I could spot Calum and Ashton's cars a few spaces down, and I saw Calum just sitting in his car, a glum expression covering his face.

I stared for a good minute before I snapped out of it and got out of the car.

I walked into the building and headed straight for my locker. I got out my books and folders for my first two classes, and I shut my locker door.

Luke appeared next to me and pulled the books he was going to need towards the front of his locker. He let them sit there, and he turned to face me.

His hands rested themselves on my hips, and Luke walked closer. He slowly pressed his lips to mine, and even though I felt the indescribable fluttering in my stomach, I didn't kiss back.

I was still kind of annoyed with him for laughing at me in the car, but I knew it wouldn't last very long.

"Kate, kiss me back," he mumbled against my lips. I shook my head, making him huff in frustration. "Please?"

Again, I shook my head, but Luke wasn't giving up. He put his hands under my shirt and moved them up slowly.

"Luke, stop," I said. We were in public, and I didn't want to cause people to stare.

"Kiss me back," he repeated. He started tickling my sides, and as much as I didn't want to laugh, I couldn't help it.

"Luke, no," I stood my ground, not willing to give in yet. Luke was being just as stubborn as me though.

He removed his lips from mine and placed them on my jaw, sucking the skin lightly before moving on to my neck. His nose was tickling me, and I could feel him smirking.

His hands ran back down my sides, to my hip, and rested in my back pockets. I let out a small, barely audible, whimper as Luke continued to work his lips all across my neck.

Before it could get any more inappropriate for the setting we were in, I grabbed his cheeks in my free hand and I pulled his face up so that his eyes were level with mine. I kissed him quickly, and he immediately responded to it, but I pulled away before anything could happen.

"Happy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The bell rang, so Luke grabbed his books out of his locker and shut the door. We started walking in the direction of my first class side by side.

"You teased me," he whined.

"You teased me first, so I guess we're even," I retaliated. Sometimes, I questioned the balance of Luke's hormones because they could switch like clockwork.

As we walked down the hallway, I noticed a tent in Luke's pants, and I was pretty sure he wasn't aware of it.

"Um, Luke?" He looked at me and waited until I spoke. "I think you have a visitor." I said slowly, directing my eyes to his bulge.

When he finally came to the realization, his eyes widened, and he quickly covered it with his books. I laughed at him.

"Fuck," he breathed. "Do you see what you do to me? How am I supposed to get rid of this? I literally have five minutes left to get to my class."

"I don't know. It's your fault for teasing me in the first place."

We were silent for a couple of steps, Luke trying to come up with a way to get rid of his boner, and me not having anything useful to say.

"God, uh, come to my car? We can skip our first class, and maybe-" I cut him off before he could finish. My jaw was nearly on the floor from what I knew he was about to say.

"Oh my gosh, no!" I exclaimed covering my eyes with the hand that wasn't holding my things.

"It'll be quick. I promise," he tried convincing me. I was not about to have sex with him in the backseat of his car.

"Luke, I'm not doing that." By this point, we were almost to my class. Luke was super jittery all the way there, probably because his books were rubbing up against him.

Once we got to my class, he kissed me goodbye on the forehead and left to go to his class. I guess he would figure out what to do and still manage to be on time for his class.  
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Luke and I met up again in our English class, which we took with Michael. I gave her all of my work, and I took my seat at the table they were sitting at.

"Hi, Michael," I said cheerfully. He waved, a bright smile on his face. He was consumed with something on his phone, so he was barely paying attention to anything anyone said, but it was fine with me.

After doing more classwork, Mrs. Oliver, our teacher, gave us a novel we had to read. Luke, Michael, and I group read until we were dismissed from lunch.

We all piled out of the classroom and went in the direction of the cafeteria. Michael walked next to Luke and me, and he was going on about some movie he was really excited to see once it came out.

"I would ask you guys to come, but I don't want to third wheel. Plus, I'd rather not hear you making out the whole time." Luke just laughed, but I agreed. I didn't want to put Michael through that.

Once we got to the lunch room, we went to the table where we normally sat. There we found Calum, Ashton, and Caitlyn. They each had a sandwich and a bag of chips with some water, and they also had some set out for us.

When we got to the table, we all took a seat. I sat next to Luke, and Michael sat at the end of the table.

"Hey, guys," Calum greeted. "My mom made us all lunches, so enjoy." He took a bite out of his sandwich and drank some water to wash it down.

"Thanks. Joy is the best," Michael said, stuffing his face with the plain chips he'd opened. He sprinkled the residue back into the bag, and I could see everyone at the table visibly cringe. It was so gross.

We all finished our lunch in silence before breaking out into a conversation about our plan after school.

"We should all go to Panda Express and have an epic hangout session. Who's in?" Michael pitched.

"I'm not doing anything useful with my time later, so I'll come," Ashton said.

"Same, I'll be there," Calum added.

"We'll go" Luke chimed in.

"I can't. I have to help my dad unpack. Sorry, guys," Caitlyn interjected.

The bell rang for us to go back to class, so we all to up and headed towards the exit.

"Okay, everyone who is going, let's meet at the front, and we can follow each other there," Ashton instructed. We all nodded before splitting up and going to our respective classes.  
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Once the school day was over, we all met back up at the front of the building, just like Ashton told us to.

"Who knows where the nearest Panda Express is to here?" Calum asked. Michael raised his hand.

"I know. I can direct whoever I ride with," he explained.

"Come with me," Ashton said. Michael nodded, and followed Ashton to his car. "Follow us! We'll see you guys there."

Calum went to his car, and Luke and I did the same. As soon as we were buckled up, we waited to see Ashton's car leave.

When Ashton's car drove away, Calum followed behind him, and we were behind Calum. It took a solid twenty minutes to get to Panda Express, but I didn't mind. I kind of enjoyed long car rides.

Once we were there, Luke found a parking space, which was next to Ashton's car, and we got out. Luke's hand insanely found mine, as we walked into the restaurant.

We found a booth big enough for all of us to sit in, and everyone except Luke and I went to the line to get our food. We were supposed to be making sure no one took our table, and we could get our food once the others came back.

Luke didn't really plan on watching the table though. Instead, his lips found their way behind my ear, where he left short kisses.

I was trying to talk to him, but he wasn't paying me any attention.

"Luke, I want to talk," I said. He just continued kissing me.

"Talk then." His lips trailed from behind my ear to my jaw, peppering kisses all along with it.

"I want to go see that movie with Michael when it comes out. Can I go?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure," he said breathlessly. I saw the other guys on their way back from the line, so I stopped Luke immediately.

"They're coming," I warned, but he didn't budge. He was on to my neck at this point, and I was sure he left a few marks.

"I don't care."

"Okay, unless you want a repeat of this morning, I advise you to stop." He quit as soon as the words left my mouth, and that made me laugh.

The guys sat down when they got to the table, and Luke and I went to the line. Just like all day, his hand interlocked with mine as we stood waiting.

He leaned over and whispered something in my ear just as it was our turn to order.

"Just so you know, there's more than one way to get rid of a boner." An expression of shock came over my face, and he winked.

"Since when did you become so sex-crazed?" I asked chuckling softly.

"I don't know, I want you all the time. I need you, but I had to contain myself in the past when we weren't together. Now that we're official, I'm not afraid to let it show," he explained.

We both ordered our food quickly before making our way back to our booth. Michael was halfway done with his food, but Ashton and Calum taking their time it seemed.

"So, Luke and Katherine, how's the lovely couple doing today?" Michael questioned.

"Luke is sexually frustrated today. I don't know what's wrong with him," I answered honestly. Michael nearly choked on his noodles, and Luke laughed. He was always so happy lately. It was nice to see.

"I can't help it," he whined. "I'm in love." He dragged that last word out. Ashton looked up at him and shook his head.

I really didn't know what was wrong with Ashton. He seemed so grumpy in recent days. It was confusing because when he picked me up from the airport, he was like his normal self.

"Oh my gosh, Kate. You're making him go all mushy!" Michael yelled. He got a few stares from so many people in the restaurant, so he quieted down a little.

"I'm not going mushy, Michael. I can just express my feelings now." Ashton scoffed, and all of our eyes focused on him. He played it off with a small cough, and he kept eating his rice.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Michael said sincerely. "Also, I'm glad you still decided to make her your girlfriend, even after she almost fucked Calum," he added.

My heart dropped. I completely forgot about that. Maybe that was why Ashton was looking at me sourly and Calum was acting awkward and weird. It was all pieced together, and I was stupid not to remember about it earlier.

I looked at Calum and saw that he dropped his fork. He didn't dare look up, his eyes focused on the bowl of rice in front of him.

"What?" Luke asked. His voice was surprisingly calm, but his tone was ice cold.

"Shit, you didn't know about that. I thought Kate or Cal told y-"

"No, I didn't know."


	31. Parking Lot

Luke's POV

I was speechless, to say the least. What was Michael talking about? I turned towards Kate, and there was a panicked look covering her face. So, it was true?

"Luke, honestly it was just a-" she started. I held a hand up, stopping any more words from coming out of her mouth.

We all sat in silence for a moment before I finally spoke.

"Is this true?" I asked, looking at Calum. I thought of him to be one of my best friends, closest even. I told him everything, and he did the same with me.

I felt Kate touch my arm, but I flinched away. Her touch no longer shot electricity through me, it sent chills and not the good kind.

Calum nodded, confirming that Michael was, in fact, telling the truth. He didn't dare look at me, his head hung low in guilt. I could see his jaw clenched from where I was sat.

"When?" I asked slowly, fearing the answer a little. I didn't want it to be recent, especially because he knew my situation.

"The day before I left, the day we were supposed to go on a date," Kate squeaked. My heart stopped.

This almost felt like the time I caught her with Thomas, but this was worse. My best friend and my girlfriend almost had sex.

"Why?"

No one answered for a few minutes. Everything was silent except the sound of the chefs cooking the food in the back.

The harder I tried to stay calm about the situation, the more my body shook. It was taking everything in me not to yell at someone.

"She was crying and venting, and she-" he was cut off by Ashton.

"That didn't give you the right to make out with her Calum," he chastised. Calum let out a deep sigh but kept his head down.

"I kissed him first, but Luke, I didn't know what was going to happen at the airport. I really didn't, honestly," she tried explaining. I took in a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down before trying to speak again. I stayed quiet.

An awkward tension settled around the table as we all tried to finish our meals.

"I'm surprised your girlfriend didn't tell you, Luke. I'm even more surprised that your best friend didn't tell you," Ashton said breaking the silence.

"I was going to tell him," Calum huffed. He'd seemed off for a while now, but I was just coming to realize that this was the reason why.

"If you were going to tell him, you should've invited him the day you told us," Ashton snarled. He was glaring at Calum across the table. How long have they known?

"You know what? Shut the fuck up, Ashton!" Calum yelled. A few people were dining in, plus some of the employees looked our way. I don't think Calum or Ashton even cared. "Don't you think I've gotten enough from the guilt that's eating away at me, constantly nagging at my brain every day and throughout the night? And the worst thing is, I was the one both of them confessed to when they didn't have anyone else, and I was there when they first told each other that they loved one another. It was a mistake, a bad one, I know. But guess what? It could've gone further, but I'm the one who stopped it, so don't come at me with all of this bullshit," he said through his teeth are before pushing the remainder of his food away from him. 

His face was red, and his anger was obvious. Ashton's was the same. Michael looked scared, and Kate's face held an expression of shame.

I, too, could imagine myself fuming from this new information, but I didn't want to let it stir up unwanted drama.

Everything had felt so right, and just like that, my world was practically crumbling around my feet.

After a couple more minutes of silence, Calum huffed again and tried to get out of the booth. Michael was blocking him in though. I could see him roll his eyes out of annoyance, probably because he couldn't make a clean getaway as he wanted.

"Move, Michael," he commanded sternly. Michael didn't budge. Instead, he swallowed the food in his mouth before trying to defuse the argument.

"Calum, you don't have to leave. We can all talk this out like mature teenagers, and it'll all be-" Calum cut him off. There was a lot of cutting off going on in this conversation.

"I don't want to talk anymore. Now, get the fuck out of my way," he growled. Michael's eyes widened, and he moved out of the booth at lightning speed.

He walked towards the door, but Ashton was letting him leave that easily.

"You can't run away from your problems forever, Hood," he called. I didn't think Calum would respond, but he turned around just before he opened the door to leave.

"You're right, but maybe you should've said that to Kate two weeks ago." I heard her winced beside me, and I wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her that it would be okay. I sat frozen, torn between my head and my now ripped-up heart.

Calum stormed out of the restaurant, and through the glass wall, I could see him get in his car and slam the door shut. He sped off quickly after that.

Michael was the first to speak after Calum left.

"I'm sorry guys, this is all my fault," he said, placing all of the blame on himself. It wasn't his to take, and I'm sure he knew that, but he's was too nice to let it blow up on the ones who deserved it.

My chest was tightening with every second that passed, and my anger was starting to be replaced by immense hurt.

I knew Kate didn't know about my feelings until I literally shouted them through the airport, but that didn't ease the pain at all. I felt a little betrayed, by both of them.

She loved me, she had to. She wouldn't say it if she didn't. I just couldn't figure out why she would place her trust in the hands of Calum when he has absolutely no feelings for her.

I suppose this was my fault for not speaking up in the first place. If I would've told her before she left, then maybe, that would've never happened. Maybe, she wouldn't have had to go to him for the comfort she needed after hearing me tell Caitlyn that I loved her.

Again, she tried placing her hand on top of mine, but this time, I didn't pull away. I stared straight ahead of me, and I looked at Ashton, whose attention was focused on Kate. He was shaking his head at her, out of disappointment, I assumed.

Michael's face held a frown, and he was leaning back against the cushions lining the booth.

I pulled my hand from under Kate's, and I turned to her.

"Kate, can I talk to you? Outside?" I asked. She nodded and followed me out the booth and towards the door. I grabbed her hand and lead her to a bench, just outside the building.

She took a seat next to me, and I rested my hands on my knees.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, voice low and unsure. I shook my head in response.

"No, just a little hurt." I ran a hand through my hair before bringing it back to its previous position.

"I'm really sorry, Luke." I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was sincere, and that brought some of the butterflies that had vanished, within the span of thirty minutes, back.

"I know, but why?" I questioned. I'm not sure was made me ask, but I had to know why she did what she did.

She sighed before actually answering. "I don't know really. After I left my house, I was so confused. I was crying, and I was trying to figure out what would've made you tell Caitlyn you loved her. I didn't know for sure, but I was almost positive that I was the one. There were subtle hints, here and there, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions," she started, taking a breath before continuing.  
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Kate's POV

"He was there, Luke. He was there when you weren't. I don't know, he was comforting me, and I guess it just kind of happened. I just wanted someone to fill the void you left behind. I wanted to make you hurt as much as I was, and Calum was there. He was unsure for the first few seconds, but when I climbed on top-" Luke stopped me mid-sentence.

"I don't want to hear about it," he said crinkling his nose in disgust. I laughed, but he didn't return it.

I know it was incredibly dumb to use Calum because of my own misfortune, but I didn't know what else to do.

My heart had been broken, literally, and I was just so lost. He was saying all of the things I wanted to hear, and it was making me feel a lot better.

I'd given Luke so many chances to tell me, and he even opened his mouth a couple of times, only to close it back and leave me wondering.

"I'm sorry," I said truthfully. "You know that I still love you, right? What happened that day doesn't change the feelings I hold for you. I just want you to know that."

He placed his hand on my thigh like he'd been doing for so long, and he rested his head on my shoulder.

"I know..." he sighed. I rested my head against the building, letting out my own deep sigh. I closed my eyes to just enjoy the feeling of his skin touching mine. "I need to ask you something, but I want you to promise me that you won't get upset," he added after a moment of silence.

"Okay?" I replied, but it came out as more of a question. I was unsure of what he would want to ask me, but I was scared because he asked me not the get upset.

"I want space," he confessed. My heartfelt like it jumped out of my chest at the word space. I knew I messed up, but I didn't think he would actually break up with me over it. "Are you okay with that?"

"So, you're breaking up with me?" I asked. My voice cracked at the end as tears started to well up in my eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

He stood up and positioned himself in front of me, taking my hands in his and pulling me up the stand with him.

"No, I just need a few days to process this all. I know we weren't dating and all when that happened, but it still hurts Kate." I could hear that he was on the verge of crying by the tone of his voice. He was trying to speak slow enough to make sure he could say what he needed to.

He let go of my hands and turned around. He walked towards his car, and he was about to get in, but I stopped him. I ran up to the driver's side of his car, where he was stood, and by now, I already had some tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Luke, you don't have to go. We can talk it out. It doesn't have to be this way," I pleaded. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I just need a little time," he said.

"Luke, please," I begged. The tears were freely flowing, and there was no trying to cover it up.

"Baby, don't cry. It's not for forever, we'll be back together soon," he promised. He opened the car door and walked behind it, prepared to leave.

"Luke..." I tried again, but he shook his head once more. He looked up at me, and I could see a tear gliding down his left cheek. He quickly wiped away all evidence of it, willing himself to be stronger about his own plan.

I looked into his eyes, and when I blinked, another tear fell. He quickly cupped my cheeks and wiped them away.

"I love you, Kate," he told me, gently pressing his lips to mine and pulling away too soon.

He sat down in his car, and he shut the door softly. He started the car up, and I stepped back so he could drive away. My eyes never left his car until he was completely out of sight.  
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After standing in the parking lot for ten minutes unmoved, Ashton and Michael came out of the restaurant.

"Kate!" Michael called. I didn't turn around though. He walked up to me before he started talking again.

I hadn't stopped crying since Luke left. I was sure my face was flushed, and my eyes were red, but I honestly didn't care.

"We threw you and Luke's food away since it was mostly--What's wrong? What happened? Where's Luke?" he questioned once he took in my appearance.

I tried to speak, but sobs took over my body, and soon I was wrapped in Michael's embrace.

"Luke, he left, and he asked for s-space," I choked out. He rubbed my back in a circular motion, and he didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"He left you here, in the parking lot?" Michael asked. Ashton was already in the car, from what I could see, and he honked his horn, signaling for Michael to hurry up.

"Yeah, can I catch a ride with you and Ash?"

"Sure, come on," he said softly. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and he pulled me in close. Once we got to Ashton's car, he opened the door to the back, and I got in first. He followed closely behind me.

I slid all the way over to the other side, and I rested my head against the window. I closed my eyes and I tried to let myself fall asleep so I didn't have to cry any more than I already had.

Right before sleep overtook my body, I felt a touch on my hand. I opened my eyes to see Michael, and he gave me a small smile before speaking.

"It's going to be okay, Kate. Everything is going to work out in the end," he whispered. When I sighed, he smiled again, which made me smile too.

It seemed like Michael was the only one who was still in my corner.


	32. Wii

Kate's POV

When I got home after Panda Express, I literally had the worst breakdown of my life. I tried texting Luke a few times, seeing if there was a possibility that he would change his mind and actually come to talk to me, but I never got a response.

I'm pretty sure I cried for hours on end, and there was no one in my house. No one there to console me. Usually, I would go to Luke, but he had already asked for space. My backup was either Calum or Ashton, but they also had their things against me and reasons to never want to speak to me again.

I had torn apart a strong friendship, and there was nothing I could do about it. It made me feel like trash. Michael was the only one who was willing to play on everyone's team.

"Which game do you want to play?" Michael asked. He was standing by the television and its stand, where my Wii was located. He was sorting through the huge stack of games that I had to choose from. Some of them were six years old, and I'd had them since I got the Wii when I was eleven.

"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "We can play whatever you want to play." I told him. He turned around to face my direction, and he gave me an almost fed-up look.

"God, Katherine, stop moping around so much. Cheer up, today's a great day!" Michael shouted. It brought a smile to my face, but that was about it.

"Michael, I can't cheer up when I constantly think about Luke and the fact that we aren't really together right now," I confessed. Michael's smile dropped, and he put down the games he was holding.

He took a couple of strides toward the couch I was sitting on, and he plopped down next to me.

"Come on, it can't be that bad. How long has it been?" He asked. It pained me to say, but it was my fault, so I couldn't complain.

"Three weeks." Michael's jaw dropped, and he gasped a little.

"Has it really been that long?" he questioned to confirm. It was true though. Luke hadn't spoken to me in three weeks. I saw him around school the first couple of days of our "breakup," but I didn't see him anymore after that.

Lunch was understandable because Calum and Ashton weren't there, but skipping class was another thing. I still saw Ashton and Calum in the classes I took with them, they just made no effort to speak to me.

"Yeah," I sighed again. I wasn't really in the mood to talk, but since Michael was making trying to make me feel better, I would talk to him.

Every second that I was left alone to drown in my own thought were the worst times. I had nothing and no one to help me take my mind off of the situation, and it didn't help that every time I closed my eyes I pictured a pair of blue ones staring right back at me. Only, they weren't just looking. Every time he blinked, a tear ran down his face.

Michael was literally the only person that would talk to me and hangout with me, and most of the time, he kept me happy. His lame jokes would make me laugh, and his commentary on everything would do the same.

He would call Ashton for a ride home after it got dark, and Ashton made no move to try and talk to me. I was beginning to be okay with that.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I'm sure he'll come around soon, sooner than you think," Michael coaxed. I nodded, trying to believe him, but the doubtful side of my brain just told me that he was talking a load of nonsense. I knew better, but I didn't want it to be a reality, so I stayed oblivious for as long as I could.

"I stopped waiting for him a week and a half ago, but if he does decide to show his face again, I'll be content," I said honestly. Michael nodded along. Not only was he a really good listener, but he was a really good friend too.

I wasn't completely sure why I never hung out with him as much before, but I was starting to regret not giving him the attention that he deserved. Michael was a good guy, and he didn't just want to be heard, he wanted to be listened to.

"Don't give up on him, Kate. Never," he told me in a soft, but stern tone.

"I won't, but it's hard when I haven't heard or seen him in so long."

"You're strong, I'm sure you can push through a little longer." His encouragement brought a smile to my face, and he smiled back. The room was silent for a good five minutes before Michael jumped up from his seat. "Okay, so, what game do you want to play?"

"I already told you that it doesn't matter, Mikey." His face lit up, and he pulled out the Mario Kart disc and held it in the air like Simba from the Lion King. "Mario Kart?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded his head rapidly and inserted it into the game system. He grabbed two of the wheel attachments and two controllers from one of the drawers apart of the television stand. He walked them over to me and handed me a set.

I quickly connected them, and Michael did the same. Once we were all set, we started the game, choosing our characters, karts, and tracks to go head to head with.  
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After about an hour of gaming, we were still at it. I wasn't sick of it, surprisingly, and it actually did a good job of keeping my mind off of Luke.

Michael beat more times than I did him, and I could tell he was having a blast. It was fun to see him all excited over playing a winning the game with such ease.

Midway through one of our battles, the doorbell sounded through the house. Michael paused the game quickly, and I got up to go answer the door.

I took my time getting there, not really sure who would be at my house this late in the day. Once I reached the front, I unlocked the door and placed my hand on the knob, turning slowly.

When the door opened, my boyfriend was stood in full view. he just looked at me, and he didn't say anything.

His hair was longer since that last time I'd seen him, and there were very noticeable bags under his eyes. His skin looked pale, and his eyes didn't hold much life.

"Luke?" I questioned out loud. He still didn't speak, instead of taking a few steps to get closer to me. In one swift motion, he cupped my cheek and smashed our lips together. It took me a few seconds to process what was going on, but I finally relaxed into the kiss. I could've sworn I felt a spark as soon as our lips met.

Luke started walking backward, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I didn't know where the put my hands, so I rested them on his hips, grabbing a fist full of his shirt in both my hands.

I felt like I was on fire. It was as if my whole body had been ignited into a flame that would be nearly impossible to put out. My stomach was doing flips, and butterflies were raging all at the same time. I felt weak in the knees.

He pulled away after about ten more seconds.

"Did you feel that?" he asked breathlessly. Huh?

"Feel what? The spark, or the butterflies?"

"Both," he said, giving me a barely-there smile. It felt nice to see him again after so long, but everything felt off for some reason.

As I stood there confused, Luke came in for one more kiss before turning around and walking back out the door, shutting it behind him. More confusion littered my brain, but by the time I questioned it and looked outside, Luke was already gone.  
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When I returned to my living room, Michael was sat on the couch with both controllers trying to navigate both karts at the same time. He was looking pretty successful.

"Fuck, yeah! This is so incredible!" Michael shouted, referring to him being able to control both games.

"Mikey, what are you doing?" I asked chuckling.

"Oh, I got bored waiting for you to answer the door, and you didn't come back quick enough, so I started the game again with you. Sorry not sorry," he explained. I rolled my eyes at him, and he smiled back, showing all of his teeth.

I walked over to the couch, and I took a seat next to him. He paused the game and handed me my controller back. I thought we were going to go straight into playing gain, but I was proved wrong when Michael turned towards me.

"You were out there for a long time...Who was at the door?" he questioned. There was no suspicion in his eyes, only curiosity. I let out a long sigh before responding.

"Luke," I responded. Michael's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and for the second time today, his jaw was pretty much on the floor.

"Are you serious?" he asked. He couldn't believe it either. Join the club.

"Yes, I'm serious, and I'm just as surprised as you are. I honestly did not expect him to be behind the door when I answered it." I laid back against the couch, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment, just taking everything in.

"What'd he want?" I shrugged, not really knowing the answer to that question.

"I don't even know. As soon as I opened the door, he kissed me, and before I knew it, we were making out. Then, he pulled away and asked me if I felt 'it'," I said making air quotes around the word it.

Michael's eyebrows scrunched together. "It? What is it?"

"He wanted to know if I felt a spark and or butterflies when he kissed me," I reiterated, and Michael nodded, finally understanding the situation.

Honestly, I missed Luke so much, and the instant comfort I felt when he put his lips on mine. It was relaxing, and with him, I felt safe.

A three-week deprivation was all I took for me to want him more than ever before.

"Did you?" Michael questioned, raising a brow. I smiled, and I even started to blush a little.

"Yeah, of course. Seen every day or not, I still love him." Calum once told me that love was strong, and it didn't fade easily, so I just needed to give him so much time.

I would never want to rush Luke. I wanted him to take all the time he needed, because not matter what, I would wait for him. He was basically my other half, and we were best friends, so it only fit.

"He loves you too," Michael said softly, placing his hand over mine. When I looked up, he was staring into my eyes. I'm not sure if he could tell or not, but I was silently pleading for him to give me any confirmation that Luke actually said that recently. "It's true. I know because I talked to him yesterday."

My eyes widened at this new information, and I quickly took my hand out from under Michael's.

"And you didn't tell me?" He shook his head and broke our eye contact.

"He didn't want me to," he responded. I threw my head back and groaned loudly, becoming increasingly frustrated by the second.

"Michael, I haven't seen him in three weeks, and you of all people know how miserable I've been without him," I stated. I stood up and started pacing across the living room floor, trying to calm myself down a little.

"I told him that I didn't want to keep it from you, but he literally begged me. He said he wanted to tell you himself, so I holding him to that," Michael explained. It eased my racing mind some, but I was still trying to come up with all of the reasons why Luke wouldn't just come to me in the first place.

I didn't want to let my thoughts consume me, so I decided to stop dwelling on it until I was actually presented the truth by the person I wanted it the most from.

"It's fine," I sighed, heading for the door. Michael stopped me before I could get there.

"Where are you going?" he asked. I turned around to face him.

"It's late, Mike. I'm going to go do some homework before I get too tired. Feel free to stay until you feel like leaving. If you want help or answers, you can come to my room and ask, and if you need food, you know where it is," I said quickly.

I didn't mean to be so dismissive, but it was hard not to. I had just seen my boyfriend after almost three weeks of now hearing anything from him, and I just found out that one of our best friends knows why he's been M.I.A and didn't tell me.

I knew he was just trying to help, but either way, one of us was bound to be disappointed, and I guess it was my turn. It was a lot to take in.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he said softly.

"It's fine, I'm not mad at you," I told him honestly. I turned again and walked out of the door, and I made my way upstairs to do homework, even though I'd rather be doing something else.  
.  
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Thirty minutes into my homework and studying, Michael came into my room and sat on my bed. I didn't acknowledge him, but it wasn't because there was a problem, it was because I was in the zone.

He just watched me while I wrote down somethings, flipped through some pages, and answered some questions.

After about two minutes yes of silence, he spoke.

"Ashton's on his way to get me," he said.

I looked up from my work to find him staring back at me.

"Okay...Are you just going to sit in here until he-" I was cut off by Michael's cellphone ringing. He quickly answered the phone, and his eyebrows instantaneously scrunched together.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said forcefully. He must've been talking to Ashton. "You never come to the door to get me, Ash." He stood up from my bed and gave me a wave before he headed towards my door. "That was ages ago, get over it. It's not your relationship anyway."

What? Was he talking to Ashton about Luke and me? He had to be.

"Bye, Mikey. I'll see you tomorrow," I whispered. He nodded and walked out of my room. "You haven't given her the chance! You intentionally avoid her, and..." The further away Michael got, the less I could make out what the words he was saying were.

A few seconds later, I heard the front door shut, and it was back to being all alone again.   
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I was awakened by a soft tapping coming from an unknown source. The lights in my room were still on, so I squinted until my eyes were adjusted to the sudden brightness.

I opened my phone to check the time. It was a little past midnight, but I didn't even remember falling asleep. When the noise didn't subside, I got out of bed and looked around, but I didn't see anything that could be a possible culprit.

The taps stopped for a few seconds, and just when I thought I could go back to sleep, they started up again. This time, they were a bit louder and more annoying. It was definitely something I wasn't going to be able to sleep through.

I walked all over my room to see if the sounds was louder depending on where I was, and I stopped at the window to listen. Since my room was more towards the back of the house, my window was facing the backyard, so whatever was going on was happening in my backyard.

I determined that the tapping was indeed the loudest by the window. I drew back my curtains and looked down, but I didn't see anybody.

Just when I was about the close them back, I saw a rock flying towards me, and if it wasn't for the barrier of glass separating us, I would've been hit square in the forehead.

I quickly opened the window and look down to try and find the one responsible for bringing me out of my sleep. Highly unexpected, I saw Luke looking back up at me, and when we made eye contact, he smiled a small smile.

"Come down," he called up to me. I gave him a puzzled look, but I obliged without thinking too much about it.

I scurried around my room to find some sandals, or any shoe to wear. I settled for a random pair of thongs, and I hurried downstairs and out of the door, after turning the light to my room off.

I shut the back door lightly and walked over to where Luke was standing.

"Luke, what are you doing here, and why are you throwing rocks at my window at midnight?" I asked as soon as I was in front of him. He just shrugged in response.

"I came here to see you, and I'm not sure why I was throwing rocks at your window. I guess I could've just rung the doorbell.," he answered realizing that he had alternatives. "Anyway, what took you so long?"

"I was asleep."

"You were? I'm sorry, I could see the lights on in your bedroom from the crack in the curtains, so I thought you were still awake," he rambled. I mentally face palmed, and I crossed my arms.

"Why did you come to see me? I haven't seen you in almost three weeks, Luke."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I promise I have a legit reason why," he tried explaining. My tiredness made my brain all hazy, so I wasn't really in the position to be within such close proximity to Luke after so long.

"I'm listening," I said, yawning at the end.

"Oh, yeah! That's why I came here. It was to ask you to dinner tomorrow after school. I'll explain everything," he offered. I nodded my head in response, too tired to do anything else. I think he noticed. "You're really that sleepy? You're literally zoning out on me while standing up," he chuckled. I forced out a small giggle as well.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go back in and hit the hay," I told him, swaying back and forth to add dramatic effect. I blame Michael for my sudden need to dramatize everything.

He does it all the time, and I had been hanging out with him every day for three weeks straight. There was no way it wasn't going to grow on me.

"Did you really just say hit the hay? Oh my god, that's like ancient," Luke laughed. I rolled my eyes and turned around to go back inside my house.

"Goodnight, Lucas," I called over my shoulder.

"Night, babe," he replied. My heart warmed at his words. The words I haven't heard in a while.

I put my hand on the doorknob, prepared the turn it, but it wouldn't budge. I tried a little harder, and still, I got nothing. I locked myself out of my own house.

I turned back around, more than embarrassed to ask someone who didn't even live here to help me get back inside.

"Luke, do you by any chance have your key to my house with you?" I asked.

His eyebrows knitted together before he answered. "No, actually. They're at home," he said after thinking about it.

I let out a groan. "Ugh, I'm locked out. What am I supposed to do?"

"You can...come with me, and I'll get my key. Then, I'll drive you back," he suggested. I shook my head, not wanting to actually put any effort into getting back into my house. He didn't live very far away from me, so it wouldn't take long, but I was feeling especially lazy.

"You don't have to make a triple trip for a key. I'll just stay at your house," I said. It wasn't really my first choice, but it meant that I could sleep on the way to his house and as soon as I got there. 

"Really?" I nodded. "Okay, let's go then."

I followed him to the entrance of my backyard, and he led me to his car. Once we were situated, he started it and drove off.

I leaned my head against the window, eyes heavy and more than ready to shut. Sleep was quickly taking over, but before I was pulled under, I felt Luke's hand on my thigh. He gave it a light squeeze, which made my insides heat up.

"I love you, baby," he said softly. That was the last thing I heard before I sleep took me in.


	33. Chips

Kate's POV

I was brought out of my sleep by a constant rustle beside me. I turned over to find Luke tossing and turning.

I rubbed my eyes, attempting to get rid of the ache and burning that came with my lack of sleep.

"Luke, what are you doing? What time is it?" I groaned. The moving stopped, and I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist.

"Shhh, it's really early in the morning. Like three, I think. Go back to sleep," he said. He sealed it with a gentle kiss to the back of my neck.

I didn't argue. I just closed my eyes again, trying to return to my state of ultimate peace. It didn't work, but I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the steady breaths of Luke from behind me.

After about an hour of just staring straight at the wall, Luke took his arms from around me. I felt the dip in the bed next to my level out, signaling that Luke had gotten out of bed.

I was going to ask why, but I decided to keep pretending that I was asleep.

I heard footsteps go across the room, and I heard the door to his room open before he walked out of it. I took this opportunity to sneak a look, and I saw the door close.

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding, while simultaneously trying to figure out what Luke was doing.

None of his actions made sense to me. From the rocks to the middle of the night's journeys. I desperately wanted to know what was going on, but I wasn't one to push things.

Ten minutes later, Luke returned. Out of what I could see, he had a glass of water with him. He walked over to his bed and sat on it, not getting back in, but just sitting up and hanging his legs over the side.

I heard him take a few gulps of the water, then put the glass on the nightstand. He sighed loudly and flicked on the lamp, illuminating the room.

Although it felt nice to be in the comfort of his bed after such a long time, everything felt so wrong. I wasn't exactly sure why, but something definitely didn't feel right.

By knowing Luke for so long, I'd mastered reading his body language, so I knew something was wrong with him. I could tell, but he was acting like everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.

More minutes passed, and Luke got up again. This time, I saw him walk over to his dresser and pull a pair of sweatpants out.

He was only in his boxers, so he pulled the pants up his legs before finding a shirt and putting that on as well. He went to his closet and got a sweatshirt from there.

He slipped it on quickly and walked back over to his bed to get his phone and car keys, turning off the lamp afterward.

Just as I thought he was about to leave, I saw him walking around towards my side of the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched onto the duvet tighter.

I didn't want him to know I had been awake this whole time.

My heart rate increased, the closer I felt him get to me. It was hard to steady my breaths and mimic those of an actual sleeping person.

I could feel Luke tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I couldn't stop my eyebrows from scrunching together, but he kissed me on the forehead, making me instantly relax.

"I'll be back in a bit. I love you," he said quietly. Did he know I was awake?

He used the bed to help him push off the floor so he could stand up, and he left the room without another word.

I thought all of my thoughts were going to keep me awake for a long time after Luke left, but his reassurance helped me drift off once again.  
.  
.  
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I woke up and expected to be enveloped in Luke's arms, but that wasn't the case. The spot next to me was empty.

I didn't really remember what happened last night after I fell asleep in his car, and I definitely wasn't sure how I got in his bed.

All I knew about was Luke leaving in the middle of the night. I was too sleepy at the time to question anything, so I didn't really know what was going on.

I was also changed out of the outfit I was wearing yesterday. Instead, I had on what I could tell was one of Luke's t-shirts and a pair of shorts.

After laying around for about ten more minutes, I decided to get up. Just as I was putting my legs over the side of the bed to stand, Luke, walked through the door.

His face was still a little paler than normal. His eyes were red, and the bags and dark circles remained under them.

His hair was covered by a beanie, and the most I could see was a little bit of his fringe hanging out. He had on all black, including his shoes, and I had to admit, he looked absolutely flawless.

His eyes met mine almost immediately, and he smiled.

"Morning," he said. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed something off the top of it before turning back towards me. "Don't come out until I call for you, okay?"

My eyebrows knitted together out of confusion, but I nodded my head slowly anyway.

"Okay?" Luke walked back out, and I flopped back onto his bed.

I wondered what he was doing that I wasn't allowed to see before realizing just how light it was outside. Usually, it would still be dark when I woke up to get ready for school, but today it was exceptionally bright.

I got up to look for my phone, and I found my clothes in a small pile on the opposite side of Luke's nightstand.

I searched the pocket of my jeans and was delighted to find my phone in the left front pocket. I took it out quickly to check the time, and I found it to be well past ten.

Before I had the opportunity to question why Luke let me oversleep, my name was called.

I got up quickly from where I was sitting, and I made my way out of Luke's room and towards the voice that called me.

I finally found Luke in his dining room. There were two plates set out, complete with a selection of different breakfast foods. In the middle of the table, I saw a bowl containing various chopped-up fruit, and next to the plates, there was silverware and a glass filled with apple juice.

"Surprise?" His hand immediately made its way to the back of his neck, a nervous gesture I'd grown accustomed to.

"Luke," I breathed, actually speechless.  
It looked beautiful.

"I'm sorry for letting you sleep in when we have school. I just wanted to do something nice, give you a worry-free day after a while. I'm sorry," he rambled. I shook my head, letting him know that everything was okay.

A wide smile was spread across my face as I walked towards him with my arms open. He quickly responded to the hug, crouching down a little to bury his head in the crook of my neck.

"It's perfect, Luke. Thank you," I said, pulling away slightly to place a kiss on his cheek.

When I came up, he was gently biting his lip. He was still holding onto me by the waist, and his facial expression made me blush.

I hid my face in his chest, and he chuckled.

"How'd you know how to make all of this anyway?" I asked curiously. He shrugged and let go of me.

"Ashton helped a little, but it was mostly from my mom. I called her and asked," he admitted, a tint of pink starting to cover his face. He sat down in the seat across from mine, but I headed to the doorway instead. "Where are you going?"

"Just to brush my teeth. I'll be back in a second."

I could see the resolve wash over in his eyes. He must've thought I was leaving because I didn't like it, but that was far from the truth.

Honestly, I loved everything about it. He didn't have to make me breakfast. He could've easily done what he said he would do last night and get me up early to take me back and let me in my house.

There were so many things he could've done that would never amount to the breakfast in front of me. It was one of the reasons why I still loved him.

I came back from brushing my teeth quickly, and I took a seat across from Luke. He was already eating.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he asked once he finished chewing the food that was already in his mouth. Not well, but surely better than him.

"Um, it was okay I guess. It could've been better," I replied. He nodded along, and I took a bite out of the waffle in front of me. "Where'd you go last night?"

"What are you talking about?" he questioned. He took his beanie off to run a hand through his hair before putting it back on.

"You left last night. Where'd you go?" I asked again. His eyebrows furrowed as he took another bite of his waffle.

"I couldn't sleep, but I can't tell you where I went," he responded once he swallowed.

"Why not?"

"Because, it's a secret," he said nonchalantly.

I guess I didn't really have to know where he went. The most important thing was why he had trouble getting sleep.

I wondered if it was an every-night occurrence or just a one-time thing. The dark circles under his eyes and the paleness of his skin practically answered my question, but I still chose to ask.

"Is there something wrong, why you can't sleep?" I questioned. He nodded slowly, chewing at the same pace.

"I've been having nightmares," he confessed, not looking me in the eyes.

Nightmares?

"What?" I gasped. "About what? For how long?"

I would have never guessed he was having nightmares. That must've been why he was tossing and turning beside me until he finally decided to get up.

"Since about two weeks ago, and again, I don't want to tell you what they're about. It's not important," he explained, picking up his cup and taking a sip of his juice.

"Luke, how is it not important? Whatever it is, it's disrupting your sleep, and that's not healthy," I stated. He just shrugged me off, which made me become frustrated.

"Well, I've sufficed for two weeks now. I think I'll be fine," he said a bit harshly.

Some pieces of my heart chipped off at the mention of those three long weeks that I didn't see him. He only asked for a few days, and those turned into weeks.

Every minute after that first week, I started to miss him more and more, but I started to expect him to come backless, which made my heartache at the thought that he never wanted to see me again.

"Whatever." We continued our meal in uncomfortable silence, only the sound of our breathing could be heard.

Even if Luke and I never spoke again, there would always be a special place in my heart for him.

I didn't want to break up, but I'd proven to myself that I could survive without him, so I knew it could be done.

Since Calum and Ashton were ignoring me, I had to take the bus to school. Michael would normally ride with Ashton, but when he found out my plan to start taking the bus, he decided to do it with me so I didn't have to ride alone.

We'd become much closer over the span of three weeks, and I couldn't have asked for a better support system. There were a few days where I would just break down out of nowhere, and Michael was the only one there for me.

He would give me encouraging words and advice that was surprisingly helpful.

"Kate," Luke called. I looked up at him. "I'm sorry, you'll get all of your answers soon. I just didn't want to ruin breakfast by talking about all of that stuff, but I guess I've already done that," he apologized.

"It's fine. And breakfast is definitely not ruined. It's really good," I admitted, which brought a smile to his face. I loved seeing him happy.

"I love you," he blurted. His face turned red, almost like he didn't mean to say it loud.

"And I love this bacon," I said laughing. His mouth formed an 'o' shape, signifying his shock that I didn't say it back, and that made me laugh even harder. "I'm just kidding. I love you, Luke. More than you could ever imagine."

"Come here," he instructed. He didn't have to ask twice. I put my fork down and got out of my seat, making my way over to Luke.

When I got there, he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. The familiarity and comfort of his embrace instantly relaxed me.

"I missed you," I told him, not looking up, instead, keeping my head on his chest.

"Same," he agreed. Luke kissed my forehead, making those all too familiar butterflies flutter in my belly.  
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Calum's POV

After school, Michael said he wanted to hang out with me, so I took him to my house. We didn't do much there. We just played a bunch of different video games.

We hadn't been hanging out as much. It was probably because he was always with Kate.

I didn't really have any particular reason why I was avoiding her, but I just didn't want to cause any more trouble. Staying away was my best option.

Also, I wasn't sure if there was anything I could say that would make anyone feel better. Before I left Panda Express the day I got into an argument with Ashton, I said a really mean thing to her. 

It was uncalled for, but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I was just so mad.

I practically blamed Kate for everything and made it seem like I didn't have any part in what went down between us. I admit that was so selfish of me.

As for Ashton, I hadn't spoken to him in more than a month, besides our outburst in Panda Express. After I told him what happened with Kate, he wanted nothing to do with me. He didn't want to be associated with me.

We would still have our band practices, but he would get Michael to tell me stuff, and at lunch, it would be completely silent at our table.

We hadn't had band practice in weeks though because no one seemed to know where Luke was. He disappeared one day, and we never saw him again.

I tried to go to his house, but either no one would answer the door, or Liz or Andy would answer and say he wasn't home. It was all really strange to me.

"Are you up for another game?" Michael asked once he scored the winning goal in a match of FIFA that we were playing.

"Uh, sure." I wasn't really paying any attention the game because I was lost in my thoughts. The same thing happened at school, and that's why my grades were starting to slip.

I really wanted to make up with Ashton because I could stand myself if people were mad at me. It ate away at my subconscious.

I had felt extremely bad for weeks, and no one noticed except for my mom. I wasn't going to tell her though. She would be so disappointed in me.

"Cal, what's wrong man?" he asked, not starting the game but turning to face me instead.

"I don't want to talk about it," I huffed, becoming annoyed, even though he didn't do anything to me. He was just trying to help.

"Is it about the whole Luke and Kate thing? Is Ashton still not talking to you?" he inquired. I kept my focus straight ahead.

"What do you think?" I answered sarcastically. It wasn't my place to be short with him, but I couldn't help it.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to help. You look miserable," he said sincerely. So he does notice.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. It's just, it doesn't feel good when everyone is against you," I confessed. I found the courage to look at him, and his face softened out of pity I assumed.

I absolutely didn't want anyone to feel sorry for me. It was my fault that we were all in this mess in the first place. I, somehow, had to find a way to fix it, and I didn't expect it to be easy.

"Have you tried talking to any of them?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. I really didn't have a legit reason.

The room fell into silence before a ringtone broke it. Michael quickly grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pressed it to his ear.

"Okay, I'll be out in a second," he said and hung up. He shoved his phone back into his skin-tight jeans before standing up and walking towards the door. "Calum this is your chance. It's now or never," he told me before turning around.

I contemplated what I was going to do for a solid ten seconds, and by then I had already heard my front door shut.

I stood up and raced to the door. I opened it and saw Ashton getting ready to pull off.

"Ashton, wait!" I called. I jogged up to the car, and the window rolled down.  
"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Talk," he said.

"No, I mean, can I talk to you in private?" I reiterated. He huffed before opening his car door.

"Michael, wait here," he directed. Michael shot me a thumbs up and a smiled before I turned around.

I led Ashton into my house and we took a seat at the table.

"I'm sorry," I started. We made eye contact, and the intensity behind his made me look away.

"I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to. Although I do think what happened between you and Kate is wrong, it's none of my business," he explained.

"I know. I just want you to know that I'm sorry for being stupid. I knew of their feelings, and I should've stopped it as soon as it happened, not minutes after the fact. That only made it worse for me and her, I'm aware," I paused to catch a breath before continuing. "I can assure you that I don't have any feelings towards her, but with me going so long without...you know...I was desperate to feel something that I hadn't felt in a while. I was only staying celibate for her. She told me to stop messing around with girls, and I was doing so well. I guess I just got caught up in the moment, but once I realized what was happening, it was already too late. It's messed up, I know." He nodded, agreeing with me, and the room was silent.

After a couple of minutes, he spoke.

"I forgive you," he said.

I could feel the smile take over my face. "Really?" He nodded again and stood up. I got up as well, and I went in for a hug.

"You're one of my best friends, Cal. I couldn't go without you much longer," he giggled. "Just remember that speech when you apologize to Luke, okay?"

"Noted," I said, still smiling. All of a sudden, Ashton's eyes widened in some sort of realization. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go right now!" He yelled, heading for the door.

"Why?"

"I've been in here for like ten minutes. Michael probably already got to my chips." I just laughed as he made his way back to his car in a speedy manner.


	34. Basket

Luke's POV

Flashback: Three Weeks Ago

I frantically wiped my eyes of all evidence of tears as I drove away from the now tainted Panda Express. Truthfully, it was one of my favorite restaurants, but the events that occurred there would forever tarnish my image of it. I somehow knew that every time I would come here after this day, I would always remember the pain I felt inside and while in the parking lot.

The news broke my heart.

Crying wasn't helping the fact that I was trying to get home safely. My vision was blurred and the movement of the tears rolling down my face tickled and was also very distracting. I was trying to hold in all of my sobs while also trying not to swerve all over the road. It was easier said than done.

No matter how much I tried to wipe away all of the tears, there were more almost immediately replacing the ones that fell and were erased by my hand. I was trying so desperately to think but I couldn't process all that was going on in my head.

It felt like my chest wanted to hurt, but I was more numb than anything. It was like pressure that was impairing my breathing. My hands were shaking, the same for my entire body, as I was trying to safely navigate the car. This restaurant was a good thirty minutes from my house, and I was about halfway there already.

Still trying to compose myself, I thought back to when I would help Kate with her panic attacks. I would always tell her to match my breathing. I would take deep breaths, and she would copy. I inhaled a long breath before pushing it out, only it was choppy from the contained sobs that were raking through my body.

It hurt to even think about Kate with Calum. I wasn't mad at her though. I was mad at Calum, highly upset with him actually. After I told him, I thought he was in my corner. He was helping me keep my secret until I could find a way to tell her myself, and I appreciated him for that. He was my best friend.

Kate didn't give me all of the details of them together, because I didn't want to know, but I couldn't help but play the scenario out in my head. That thought alone gave me a major headache.

When she left for America, he didn't even attempt to tell me. He just congratulated me and left like there wasn't a major secret to be confessed.

Just as I was plotting a hundred different ways to stop thinking about the situation, I pulled into the driveway of my house. I got out of the car and walked to my front door to let myself in. I took my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, taking a step in and closing it once I was inside.

My face was stained with tears, as I just gave up on trying to wipe them away and left them to dry. I could tell my eyes were swelling and could feel them starting to burn. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and be left alone for a while. As I walked through my house, I had the plan to go straight to my room and do just that.

I was stopped by muffled voices coming from what I assumed to be the kitchen. I slowly made my way in there to investigate, not expecting to see who I saw.

My mum and dad were home.

"Surprise!" my mum yelled. My dad was standing quietly behind her, a small smile etched into his face. I missed them a lot, and their return should've made me more excited than I actually showed.

There was no denying that I was happy they were back, but my own issues were overpowering the happiness I felt. I put a smile on my face anyway. I wasn't in the mood to be questioned, but I wanted someone to talk to.

I padded over to were she was standing, and I immediately engulfed her in a hug. My dad was next.

"We missed you, son," he said once we pulled away.

"Same here," I half-heartedly replied. He frowned, and so did my mum.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Mum asked. I just shrugged and ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't think I want to talk about it," I sighed. She wasn't buying it.

"You've been crying, I can tell, so tell me what happened. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I know," I mumbled. My mum always knew how to cheer me up. She gave the best advice, and she wasn't biased or anything. She gave it to me straight, and I appreciated her for that.

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" she asked. I nodded and walked away, expecting her to follow me, which she did. She also placed a comforting hand on the middle of my back as I guided her up the stairs.

When we walked into my room, my mum flicked the lights on, and I went to take a seat on my bed. She sat down beside me and put a hand on my knee.

"Where do you want me to start?" I questioned.

"You can start wherever you want," she said softly. I let out a deep sigh before beginning.

"I love her, mum." Her eyes went wide at my confession, but she quickly composed herself for my sake.

"Who are you talking about?" I laid back on my bed, but mum continued to sit straight up.

I'd never really considered how my parents would react to Kate and I being together. They knew her very well of course because our parents were good friends, but they've always thought of us to be strictly platonic. My parents loved Kate though. They thought highly of her, and I wasn't sure how my news was going to affect their view.

"Kate, we're dating," I confessed.

"Since when?"

"We made it official yesterday, but it's been a couple of weeks since I told her," I explained. I could see her nodding along to what I was saying, and it made me feel a little better to know I always had someone I could go to.

"Told her you loved her?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but she left for America that day. Remember when I told you she was going for two weeks when you asked how she was doing?" She nodded again. "I told her that day, at the airport."

"Oh, wow. How long had you known before you told her?"

"A couple of months. Like, two or three maybe," I stated. I was still not sure why I didn't tell her earlier. I guess I was just afraid of her reaction, and I feared rejection.

"Why'd you wait so long?" she questioned, purely out of curiosity. My mum really wasn't one to judge, but I still didn't feel that comfortable telling her the actual reason why I didn't tell Kate as soon as I knew.

"It's complicated," I replied quickly.

"You'd rather not share?"

"No, thanks," I said. She shrugged, not really minding that I didn't want to give her a reason. She respected my privacy, and she didn't push me to tell her things I didn't want to.

"Well, it seems like this is a good thing, so why are you so upset?" she asked after a brief silence.

"The day before I told her I loved her, she made out with Calum. From what Michael said, they came close to..." I trailed off, not really wanting to actually say the words out loud. I still couldn't believe it myself. I was in shock and a great deal of denial.

"Why would she do something like that, Luke?"

"I kind of hurt her, and I didn't give her a proper explanation after she gave me the chance. That's why she left. Well, that's part of the reason," I explained.

"What did you do?" she asked. She was already facing me, but she gave me the look.

"Kate overheard me telling another girl that I loved her over the phone, but I wasn't really telling the girl I love her. Caitlyn, the one I was on the phone with, was giving me advice because I was about to take Kate on a date. I was planning to tell her on the date. I was asking Caitlyn how I should say it, and I said it in a few different tones," I took a deep breath before continuing. "She walked in, and I didn't speak up when I had the chance. She left and called Calum."

"She didn't know of any of your feelings at this point?" I shook my head, signaling a 'no'. "Did anyone besides you know about your feelings for her?" I nodded. "Who?"

"Calum, and that's why I'm so angry. Mum, he knew, and he didn't stop it until it almost happened! They weren't even going to tell me! I had to hear it from Michael, who put it very bluntly in the middle of the Panda Express. I just--I feel so betrayed, and I don't know what I'm going to do because I love her so much, and apparently he just disregarded that. I don't want to keep crying, but I can't help it. It just hurts so bad," I said, sniffling towards the end.

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes again, but I willed myself to hold them back.

"Are you positive that what you feel is love and not some massive crush?" She asked.

"Yeah," I responded. My voice cracked a little at the end, and a single tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.

"Well, you need to talk to her."

"I already did. We decided to take a little break from each other, so I could figure all of this out in my head," I told her.

"Then, you need to figure out what you want quickly. You have a right to be upset about this, but you can't be all that mad at her. I'm not saying that what she did is right because it isn't. You should never act on impulse if you know you aren't thinking straight. And, if she gave you several chances to explain and you didn't, that's your own fault. You can't blame her for something she didn't know about. If you love her as much as you say you do, this will just be a bump in the road, and I promise you both will find your way back to each other, especially if she loves you just as much," she stated.

"Thanks, mum," I said as she stood up. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'm going to make some dinner if you're hungry."

"No, thank you." I stood up and made my way to her. She quickly embraced me and rubbed her hand up and down my back, in a comforting manner.

"Everything is going to be okay," she said. I hoped that was true. She pulled away and left my room.

I walked back to my bed and laid down on it. I closed my eyes and immediately saw an image of Calum and Kate's lips slowly meeting. My eyes shot open, and I sat up quickly. My breathing became heavy, and tears welled up in my eyes. This was going to be a long night.

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Kate's POV

Present

Once we were done with our breakfast, we hung out for a few hours before Luke finally took me home. He let me in my home left. He told me to put on something nice and that he would be back around five-thirty.

I was excited that we were talking again, but I was nervous about our date. Last time we tried this, it didn't turn out so well, and that situation was why we were in this predicament now.

I immediately went to my room, so I could pick out an outfit. I decided on a royal blue dress, and I paired it with a cream cardigan and matching sandals. I laid the outfit over the side of my bed and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

I had a good two hours to get ready for our date. I had no idea where he was taking me, and I didn't even know what we were going to do. Luke had this tendency to be surprising, and you never really knew his next move.

I turned the faucet on and waited for the water to heat up before I stepped out of my clothes and into the shower. I grabbed my vanilla shampoo and washed my hair with it. I did the same with the soap.

I had a few different scents, but I remember Luke telling me that the vanilla one was his favorite.

After I washed myself a couple times, I turned the water off and got out. I dried off a little and wrapped the towel around my body. I turned off the lights and walked back to my room to get dressed.

Once I returned, I found some cute, matching undergarments, and I put on some lotion. I pulled my dress up, and I had a bit of trouble zipping it since the zipper was located in the back.

I put on my sandals, and I was happy that I'd recently gotten a pedicure. My toenails were painted a soft pink, and hadn't yet chipped. My nails were the same color.

When I was done put my clothes on, I went over to my vanity to find some suitable jewelry to wear. I found a silver necklace with my first name's initial on it, and I quickly put it around my neck. I also found this cute ring with a with a couple sapphire gems engraved in it. I slipped it on one of my ring fingers. I also found a few silver bracelets, one of them was given to me for Christmas by Luke a couple years ago.

I took out my hairdryer because I didn't feel like waiting for my hair to dry on its own, and I was sure it was going to take ages.

I dried my hair quickly, and I used my curling iron to loosely curl my hair. I set them with some hairspray, and I pinned one side back out of my face.

I searched my vanity for some mascara, and I lightly applied that. I also found some mint lip balm, and I put that on as well. I was all ready to go, so I sat on my bed to wait for Luke to get to my house. I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me because this is exactly what happened that last time, only, that ended very badly.

I took out my phone to check the time, and I saw it to be five-twenty-five. I felt better about the date this time because I knew where we stood, in terms of feelings. There were still a few things that needed to be said and cleared up, but I knew our feelings were mutual, and that was all that mattered.

A few minutes of silence to take everything in settled over the room before I heard a knock at my front door. I grabbed a small, silver clutch purse, and I put my phone and house key in it.

I wondered why Luke didn't just use the key he had to let himself in, but I decided not to question is motives and just go along with it.

I took on last look at myself in the mirror before I turned out the lights in my room and headed downstairs to my front door.

I opened it quickly to find Luke standing behind the door, like I'd assumed, in a suit, holding a single rose in his hands. His hair was styled upwards, and his eyes held some life in them. He was absolutely stunning.

He reached his hand that held the rose out, and I smiled before taking it.

"Thank you," I said. He leaned in and placed a light kiss on my cheek. He turned around and walked back towards his car and I followed.

He opened my door for me, and I slipped in quietly. He got in as well and started the car before driving off.

I instantly recognized the route we were going. We were headed in the direction of his house. I smiled to myself when I felt him place a hand on my thigh.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I guess I have to be," I replied.

"We didn't get this far last time," he said softly. A frown made its way onto my face as I remembered the events of that day.

"No, we didn't." We were coming closer to his house, and I expected him to pull into the driveway, but we kept going past it. I was confused.

"Luke, where are we going? I questioned. He turned towards me for a brief second and winked before focusing his attention back on the road.

"It's a secret," he stated simply, squeezing my thigh gently and sending electricity throughout my body. A silence waved over the car for the rest of the trip, which only took about five minutes once we'd passed his house.

He parked his car in what looked like an empty field. There was grass everywhere and no sign of life. It was empty, with no houses, no animals, no people. It was a secluded field, and I started to wonder how he even found this place.

He got out of the car, and I followed. He went around to his trunk, and he took a basket out. So we were going to have a picnic in an empty field?

I waited for him to lead the way, and he took my hand in his while doing so. I thought he was just going to choose a random space in the grass to set our things down, but we kept walking until we came to a wall of trees and bush. It almost looked like the beginning of a forest.

He kept walking, but I stopped, which cause our hands to separate. He turned back to look at me, an expression of worry covering his face.

"You'll be fine. Just follow me," he said, reaching his hand out for me to take again. I reluctantly grabbed it, and he led me through a small opening in the trees.

Once we got past the thick wall, there was open space, but there were still a bunch of trees scattering the place. We walked for about ten minutes before we came upon this one spot that looked like it had been lit up by a bunch of fairy lights and candles.

The closer we got, the more I could make out the scene in front of me.

There was a huge tent being held up by some surrounding trees, and inside looked like there was a table set up for two. Fairy lights surrounded the place to make it glow. It looked beautiful.

Luke guided me inside the tent, which was also brightened by lights and candles that smelled of vanilla. The table was set with a white table cloth, two fancy plates, silverware, and glasses, like this morning. There was a vase with what looked like handpicked flowers in it, and it was finished with a couple of lit candles.

He set the basket in his opposite hand on the ground that was covered in rose petals, and he took out a few containers with food in them. I watched closely as he put a portion of each food on each plate, and he filled each glass with lemonade. I stared at the setup for a few seconds before I realized that he had prepared my favorite meal and accompanied it with my favorite drink.

I sat down first, and he did after me. He moved the vase over to the side of the table and made eye contact with me.

"Surprise, again," he said smiling to himself.

"It's beautiful, Luke. Thank you so much. I would've never guessed you would do something like this for me. You never cease to wow me, and that's one of the reasons why I love you so much," I responded. He nodded and picked up his fork.

The pasta in front of me looked so good, so I dug in right away. The creamy sauce engulfed my taste buds, and I let out an involuntary moan.

"Good, huh?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Very. Where did you learn how to cook like this?" I replied.

"I called Joy, she helped me."

"Nice," I said smiling. It felt like I hadn't stopped smiling since this morning, and maybe that was because it actually felt like everything was falling into place again. We ate in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up again. "Where have you been?" I asked. That was the question that had been haunting my brain every since I stopped seeing him at school every day.

He swallowed his food and took in a deep breath before answering. "It's a long story," he stated. "but I guess we have time, so I'll tell you."

"Okay..."

"Well, I was fine the first three days maybe. I had a few breakdowns here and there, but otherwise, I was doing okay. The third night I was without you, I went to sleep thinking I'd be fine. This is when I got my first nightmare. My mum woke me up from it, and I was drenched in sweat. She said I was screaming in my sleep and crying when I woke up. I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, and when I finally did fall asleep again, I overslept, and that's why I missed school," he confessed. I was about to speak, but he held up a finger, silencing me. "This continued for the rest of the week, and I didn't have the same dream every night, I had a variation of three. At the end of the week, I tried to avoid sleep at all costs, but I was so tired. I stopped eating as much because I just wasn't hungry anymore, and I overslept every day." Behind his eyes, I saw hurt, and all I wanted to do was take it away because he didn't deserve any of this.

"Luke, I'm-" He cut me off to finish his explanation.

"The school called my parents to tell them that I was missing school every day, and I had to tell my mum about the nightmares that I had every night. She explained my situation with the school. She told them I was dealing with a major 'loss', and we made an agreement that I could do my work over the computer, just so I could go at my own pace. I still had the same due dates as everyone else though. A few more sleepless nights and Mum made me an appointment with this psychologist. They prescribed me some sleeping pills. I took them for a couple of nights before I realized that they were making me lose my appetite. My body rejected them, and they made me throw up. At first, I didn't care because nothing hurt worse than the pain in my chest, but my mom started to notice. She made me stop taking them, so I was back to the nightmares," he said.

My heart ached for him. This was all my fault. "I'm so sorry. If I would've known you were going through all of that, I wouldn't have stopped trying."

"I'm not done," he stated. "One night, I didn't feel like having another bad dream, so I left home and went driving. I came across this place, and since it was an empty field, I got out of my car and walked. I walked until I got tired, and by the time I go back to my car, it was daylight. I left my car and just walked back home. By this point, I didn't want to be bothered by anyone. My parents had left again, so it was just me at home. I didn't want people to think I was home so I would leave my car there every other night and walk back." He finished his story with a long sigh.

"What about the nightmares?"

"I still have them, but it was easier to wake up from it when you were with me. It was like it was weaker or something, I don't know," he answered.

"Will you ever tell me about them?" I ask.

"Maybe," he says, a smile playing on his lips.

"I don't want you to have them anymore," I told him truthfully. I really didn't. If I could take them instead, I would in a heartbeat. I deserved them, not him.

"Me either," he confessed sadly. His face lit up all of a sudden and he pulled his phone out. "Remember when I sang that song I wrote for you?" I nodded. "Before all of this mess, I got the other boys to record it, and we made a studio version."

My eyes widened and he scrolled through his phone before I heard the familiar melody playing throughout the tent. The song started, and Luke's voice immediately filled my ears. He reached his hand out, and I placed mine in his. He pulled me out of my seat and to him where he was standing up next to the table.

"May I have this dance," he asked shyly. I nodded in response.

"Sure." He pulled me into him and placed his hands on my hips, while I put mine around his neck. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

"I love you a lot, Kate," he confessed. He wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest.

We weren't really dancing, it was more like swaying from side to side, but I wouldn't change it for a thing.

"I love you more," I said.

"That's impossible." We danced for a while in silence, the song having been played three times already. We were still swaying back and forth, and I was so comfortable in his arms. "Kate," he called. I looked up at him, his arms still wrapped around my waist.

"Yeah?"

"Where do you see us in like ten years?" he asked. My eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. I hadn't expected him to ask me that.

"In ten years, I hope we're still together actually. I honestly can't see myself with anyone else," I answered.

"I'm glad you say that," he stated. My facial expression contorted into confusion when he pulled away from me. He ran a hand through his hair and reached into his pocket. I stood frozen as I had an idea of what was about to happen.

He pulled a small black box out of his pocket, and he got down on one knee.

My hand covered my mouth, and I started tearing up. I wasn't sad, not even close. I was so happy, and I didn't think the right could get any better.

"Luke," I breathed.

"Listen," he said, taking my free hand in his. "I know we're young, but I want you to promise me a few things."

"Okay," I said softly, nodding my head rapidly.

"Promise me that you'll love me forever, no matter what. Promise me that you'll always find your way back to me, even if it's hard. Promise me you'll always be faithful. Promise me that one day, when I ask, you'll marry me because it's you. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know we're young, but I want you to promise me that you'll fight for us until I can make you mine for good."

I was at a loss for words, but the only ones that I could muster were the exact ones that he wanted to hear.

"I promise," I said.

A tear escaped my eye, as Luke slipped the ring in the box on my finger, replacing it with the one I already had there.

It was beautiful. It was silver and had an infinity sign made from two hearts in diamonds.

He stood up and wiped the tear from my face with his thumb. He then used his thumb and index finger to tilt my chin up, and he pressed his lips to mine.

Once he pulled away, I hugged him. He relaxed in my arms and hugged back.

"I love you so much," I said.

"I love you too, babe."

I stayed in his arms for a couple more minutes, Luke continuing to leave kisses on the top of my head. When he pulled away, he walked back over to the table and pulled a flashlight out.

He put all of the dirty dishes in the basket, and he blew out the candles. He grabbed his phone off of the table, and he turned out the fairy lights.

He turned on the flashlight as he guided me through the woods once again.

"When did you find the time to do all of this?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I did most of it yesterday before I showed up at your house when Michael was there, and I finished it last night and before I came t pick you up."

"Luke, you didn't have to do this." I still couldn't believe he went through all of that just for me.

"I know, but I wanted to," he said.

His car was in sight, and we walked in silence until we got there.

"Thank you for tonight." He nodded while putting the basket back in the trunk. He opened my door for me, and I got in the car. He got in as well and started the car before driving off.

"This is just the beginning," he replied once we got to his house.

He got out of the car and went around to the trunk. He pulled the basket out, and that was the last thing I saw before my eyes got heavy and shut.

I was awakened by a soft tap on my shoulder.

"Kate, wake up," Luke called.

I blinked a few times and looked around, not recognizing my surroundings. I looked out the window and saw a tall building that I recognized to be a hotel, a resort even.

"Where are we?" I questioned sleepily.

"We're in Sydney. I planned for us to stay at this resort until Sunday afternoon. I stopped by your house and got you some clothes for the weekend. It's like eleven o'clock, so we can go in now and get some rest," he explained.

He just continued to surprise me. I truly was grateful to have him.

"I love you."


	35. Breakfast

Kate's POV

"Stop." I heard a muffled voice say. It was soft, pleading even. I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly a few times to adjust to my dark surroundings.

I remember Luke waking me up when we got here so I could come inside. The hotel he'd chosen had fabulous rooms. The one we were staying in was modeled like an apartment, but it was about half the size.

It had a kitchen space, complete with a stovetop, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a few cabinets full of different kinds of dishes. There was also a small living area that had a sofa, coffee table, and flat-screen television.

In our bedroom, we had a king-sized bed, a dresser, and there was another television. There was a door that connected to the bathroom, and it was huge. It had a shower with glass sliding doors, a full countertop, two sinks, and a toilet that was blocked off by a separating wall.

It was safe to say this suit looked expensive, and I didn't even know half of it.

As soon as we got in here, Luke put our bags in the bedroom, and we both changed into pajamas. Mine consisted of a pair of shorts and one of Luke's t-shirts, and Luke had on plaid pajama bottoms and a muscle tee.

We went back to the living room, sat on the couch, and cuddled for a couple of hours, watching random television shows, before I fell asleep again.

Sometime throughout the night, I'd felt Luke get up from behind me to go to our actual bed. He kissed me on the forehead before he left. I would've followed, but I was exhausted and way too lazy to do so, so I just stayed on the couch.

"No, please," the voice begged. I got up from my laying position, and I flicked on the lamp, which immediately brightened the room.

I walked over to the bedroom door, which was cracked open, and I entered quietly.

I found Luke with half of his body under the duvet, him clutching onto it tightly, and the other half of him was exposed and sprawled out all over the bed. He was lying on his back, and from what I could see, his eyebrows were scrunched together. He was sweating a lot as well, causing some of his hair to stick to his forehead. That explained his cover situation.

Since he was taking up almost all of the space on the bed, I decided to just go back on the couch to sleep. It was comfortable enough, so I didn't mind.

Just as I was about to leave the room and shut the door behind me, I heard him yell, which made me turn around instantly.

"No, stop! Please!" His eyes were still shut, but he was thrashing around, making himself tangled in the duvet.

I hurried over to him, and I shook his shoulders.

"Luke, wake up," I called. His eyes shot open, making the fear visible in his blue irises. He was breathing heavily, and relief washed over him as soon as he saw me.

"Kate," he sighed. His breathing was unsteady, and he was shaking a little bit.

"You're okay. I'm here, everything's fine," I soothed him. I pushed the matted hair back off of his forehead, and he looked genuinely frightened as he pulled me on top of him.

I rested my head on his chest, and I could hear the rapid beating of his heart, and I could feel the deep rise and fall of his chest. We laid in silence for a while before Luke spoke. I thought he had already fallen back asleep.

"You love me, don't you?" he asked. I turned my head so that my chin was on his chest and I was looking straight into his eyes.

"Of course I do. You know that," I said softly. He sighed and removed his arms from around me, bringing his palms to cover his eyes. He then took them away after rubbing and ran a hand through his partially wet hair, making some of it stand up.

"Say it," he directed.

I didn't understand what any of this was about, but all I could conclude was that something happened in his dream to make him think that I didn't love him. I would do anything as long as he could sleep.

I was pretty close to his face, so I reached up and pressed a light kiss to his jaw.

"I love you," I told him truthfully. He threw his head back on the pillow and let out another sigh.

"Again. Say it again."

"I love you, Luke," I repeated. I put my head back in his chest, and he kissed me on top of my head.

Whatever was making him need me to reassure my love for him had to be taken care of soon. I didn't want him to second guess himself for a second, and I couldn't help but feel like I put him in this predicament in the first place.

"I love you too, babe. More and more every day. Please don't ever forget that." He wrapped his arms back around me, and I smiled in content.

A few seconds later, I heard Luke's soft snores, and I too closed my eyes trying to get back to sleep.

I know my relationship was nowhere near perfect, but we promised each other to work towards that every day, and I was willing to fight long and hard for the one that I loved.  
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Luke's POV

I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in when Kate came in and woke up from my bad dream, and I could hear her breathing softly.

The nightmare I had last night was the worst one I'd ever had. The only time I'd ever screamed like that was the first time it happened, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the one last night.

Everything felt more real, more vivid. There was no way it was just a dream, but apparently, that's all it was.

All I wanted to hear was Kate say that she loved me, and me only. She'd become my world, and without her, I just felt so empty.

I looked to my left to check the clock on the bedside table, and I found it to be almost nine o'clock. When I talked to the person at the front desk last night before I checked in, he said that breakfast lasted from eight to ten-thirty.

My hands, which were securely wrapped around her, traveled down her back and slipped under her shirt, resting at her sides. She stirred a little in her sleep, but she didn't wake. I rolled us over so that I was on top, and I supported my weight with my forearms.

I kissed her jaw and she turned her head. I kissed her cheek, and her head turned again like she refused to be woken up. I kissed her lips, and she let out an annoyed groan.

"Luke, what are you doing?" she asked with her eyes closed. I ignored her and instead moved my lips to her neck, pressing slow kisses all the way down until I reached her collar bone.

"Good morning, princess," I said, continuing to suck on random spots, but being careful not to leave any visible marks.

"Luke, stop," Kate whined. A few seconds later, her eyes finally fluttered open. Her hands found their way to my hair, trying to get me to stop, but that only fueled me more.

I lifted her shirt a little, only exposing her tummy, and I sponged kisses all across her skin. I kept sliding her shirt up further, my hands trailing up her sides, and my lips kissing up her torso until I got to the underside of her bra.

She gave up on trying to stop me, and I could feel her holding back her little moans. She was quite tense at the moment when normally, Kate would let me relax her. I think she was trying to hold her ground about me stopping without actually trying to make me stop.

Anything that would get my mind off of the dream I had last night would work for me. As long as I knew that I was the only one she wanted, I would be satisfied.

I'd never really been too insecure before. I had things about myself that bothered me here and there, but nothing had ever been this bad, and I wanted nothing more than to end it.

"They have breakfast downstairs until, like, ten-thirty. Do you want to go, or would you rather go out?" I asked once I'd finished my light teasing.

"We can go downstairs for breakfast. I don't need anything fancy," she replied. I planted my lips on hers shortly before rolling off of her and heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth.  
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Kate's POV

When Luke got off of me, I too got out of bed and headed over to my bag that he packed for me. Since we were about to go downstairs for breakfast and I was wearing shorts, I pulled out a pair a sweatpants, and I put them on over my shorts.

I got out a brush and brushed my hair back, tying it into a ponytail. Luke came out of the bathroom after a few minutes, and a beanie was covering most of his hair. I got my toothbrush and face cleanser out of my bag, and he told me that I left the toothpaste in the bathroom on the counter.

I went into the bathroom, and I brushed my teeth quickly. Once I was done, I used one of the provided washcloths to wash my face, and I noticed a few purple marks scattered across my neck. I lifted up my shirt, and I found more littering my entire upper body.

I had originally planned to wear my hair up, but I wasn't sure if Luke packed anything I could use to cover these up. I let my hair back down, and it didn't really do me any justice. My hair covered a few, but most of them were still going to be exposed.

"Luke!" I called. Within seconds, he came rushing into the bathroom, and I saw him behind me through his reflection in the mirror.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I pointed to all of the lovebites on my neck, and his eyes widened. "Oops, I'm sorry about that. I swear I was being careful, but I must've gotten a bit carried away," he tried defending himself.

I lifted up my shirt revealing more hickeys covering my stomach. "A bit carried away? Try again," I said laughing. I wasn't really bothered that he left them there. I was more bothered that I had to go out in public with them on full display.

It was actually quite funny, but I had to figure out how to get rid of them before the weekend was over.

"I hope you know that they're all out of love," he proclaimed. I nodded, agreeing with him.

I turned around to a full on smiling Luke. His hands found their way to my hips, and he lifted me up onto the counter. Keeping his hands on my sides, he walked forward a little so that he was standing between my legs.

"Yeah, I know," I responded. I reached up and peck him on the nose, then both of his cheeks, then his lips, and I lingered there for a second.

He pulled away first.

"Each one of these," he started, slipping his hands under my shirt and letting them roam along my torso. "is a small way of me showing you how much I love you," he finished.

"Mhm." His lips touched my collar bone, and he nipped at my skin all the way until he met my lips, sliding his tongue in once he got there.

The familiar burn in the pit of my stomach occurred, but it felt more powerful this time around.

I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him closer to me and closing the gap between us. We continued kissing breathlessly for what must've been minutes before my stomach growled.

Luke pulled away and laughed.

"Someone must be hungry," he said.

"Well, yeah. I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday," I answered chuckling. Luke helped me off the counter, and I turned around to check my appearance in the mirror.

I could see a couple of new marks that could easily be covered by my hair, and some just remained out in the open, no matter how hard I tried.

I wasn't really one to love the spotlight or any attention at all. I was really shy, and I couldn't help but feel like everyone would be staring at me and my hickey-covered neck.

"Don't worry about them. If people want to look, let them, but they have no right to judge you because whatever we do is none of their business," Luke whispered in my ear.

It made me feel a bit better, but I was still kind of uneasy.

"Um, o-okay," I stuttered. He grabbed my hand and led me out of the bathroom and into our bedroom. We both grabbed our phones, and he picked up the key card before we walked to the door and out of our room.

Since we were staying on the third floor, we didn't have much traveling to do to get to the main floor, so the elevator ride was quite short.

Once we got downstairs to the dining area, I check the time on my phone to find that it was half-past nine, so that meant we had about an hour to eat.

Luke lazily threw his arm around my shoulders, and I, in turn, put mine around his waist. We walked like this until we got to the food preparation area, where Luke walked to find what he wanted to eat.

Most of the people who were already here were also in their pajamas or just lounging wear, so I didn't feel too out of place by coming down in sweats.

I found a waffle maker, so I decided I was going to have a waffle and a fruit salad.

As I was waiting for my waffle to cook, I turned around to try and find a spot for us to sit. Before I could find somewhere, I heard a small gasp come from below me. I looked down, and it was a little girl with her eyes wide and a hand covering her mouth.

"What happened to you?" she asked in concern.

"What are you talking about?" The little girl's eyes were roaming my neck, and she pouted.

"You have so many bruises on your neck," she clarified. "Did you fall and get an owie?" I giggled at the small child and her innocence. I looked up at her mum and she was shaking her head at me.

"Um...yeah. I fell, and I-uh...I hit my neck on the corner of the table," I lied. Her mum seemed satisfied with my answer, but I knew she didn't believe a word I said.

"Woah, did it hurt?"

"No, not really. It felt good actually. It kind of tickled, and it gave me this nice tingling-" I was cut off by her mom clearing her throat, which made me laugh even harder.

"Oh my gosh, that sounds fun! Mummy, I want to hit my neck on the corner of the table!" she yelled, causing a bunch of people to turn and look at her.

Her mum glared at me, but I just kept laughing. The timer on the waffle machine went off, indicating that it was done, so I took it out and put it on my plate before walking away quickly.

I found the fruit after not that long of searching, and I poured some syrup on my waffle. I saw Luke already sitting down at this table for two, so I made my way over there, and I took a seat across from him.

He had some pancakes on his plate and some pineapples on the side. There was a cup of water next to all of it. Luke was already eating, so I dug in as well.

"How is your waffle?" he asked after we ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Tastes pretty good. How about your pancakes?"

"They're nice," he said. "You'll never convert me."

Ever since we were about fourteen, we had this ongoing argument about which was better. Waffles or pancakes? He's never believed that waffles are better than pancakes, and I refuse to believe that pancakes are better than waffles.

"Wanna bet?" I challenged. I cut a piece of my waffle and passed my fork to him. He put it into his mouth, and he gave the fork back to me as he was chewing.

"Well, it's close, but the pancakes still have my heart. There's no beating them," he finally said.

"What do I have to do to convince you that waffles are clearly better?" I whined.

He gave me a smug smile before saying, "Maybe you could give me a blow j-"

"Luke!" I exclaimed. He winked at me before laughing. His cellphone ringing cut off our little fun, and when he looked at the screen, he frowned but answered anyway.

"What?" he said rather harshly. "No, I don't want to talk to you." He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You knew, yet you let it continue, and I'm done! I already told you this. Just leave me alone, bye," he snapped before hanging up on whoever he was talking to.

I thought we would just continue our conversation like we were before, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously. He rolled his eyes.

"No one," he spat. I flinched at the harshness in his tone, but I didn't call him out on it.

We finished our breakfast in silence, and once we were both done, we threw our trash away and walked towards the elevator.

He didn't pay me any attention the entire way back to our room, and it was starting to bother me. Whoever he talked to on the phone made him upset enough to stop talking to me, and I didn't think that was okay.

When we got back to our room, he unlocked the door and went inside before me. He sat on the couch while I headed to our bedroom so I could get ready to take a shower.

I took out some black, ripped jeans and a random band t-shirt. I put the outfit on hangers, and I hung them in the closet part of the room.

Luke still hadn't said anything, and he was sitting on the couch in silence, not even the television playing in the background. I went in there to talk to him, just to see if there was anything I could do to help.

I walked over to where he was sitting, and I sat down next to him.

"Luke, what's wrong?" I asked. He huffed before answering.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, how am I supposed to help you if you won't even tell me what's going on?" He was acting like a child, and I didn't want to talk to him if he was going to be mean.

"You're not because I just said that I don't want to talk about it," he retorted.

"Fine, whatever," I said, getting up and going back into our bedroom. I grabbed my body wash out of my bag, and I then proceeded to go into the bathroom so I could finally take a relaxing shower.

I turned on the faucet once I was settled, and I quickly stripped down before getting into the soothingly warm water.

I couldn't help but think about all of the possibilities that could be a reason why Luke was upset. He wouldn't even talk to me about it, which says a lot.

There was a chance that the conversation would steer towards his nightmares, and maybe he wasn't ready to tell me about them. That was probably why he was being so dismissive.

Before I had time to try and process all of my thoughts, I saw a figure walking by through the foggy glass door. All of a sudden, the door slid back, revealing a naked Luke.

He stepped in the shower and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Luke, what are you doing?" I asked, staring at him.

"I'm taking a shower. What does it look like?" he retaliated. I turned around to grab my body wash, preparing to bathe and get out as quickly as possible.

"Oh, okay. That's fine, I guess." I reached for it, but he grabbed it before I could, making me have to turn around to retrieve it from him.

He wasn't letting me off that easy though. Luke placed the bottle on a higher shelf on the wall. He took my wrists in his hands and pulled me a little closer to him.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just- I wasn't expecting that call, and it threw me off. I didn't mean to take my frustrations out on you. And I promise to tell you about all of this soon," he rambled.

We were almost standing under the water. I was on one side of it, and he was on the other.

"Yeah, okay." I didn't like that he still had a few secrets left to tell, but I was glad that he would tell me soon. I would do anything I could to help him and make sure he was happy.

"Are you okay?" he asked, searching my eyes for any sadness or discontent.

"I'm fine," I said. I smiled, but it wasn't very genuine. There was like this lingering thing in the air that was causing me to focus on it even when I didn't want to.

"Fine isn't happy, Katherine." He cupped my cheeks, and his eyes flickered from my eyes to my lips every few seconds.

"Well, it feels better to be fine when you're not feeling that happy," I stated, my eyes resting everywhere but on his.

"I want you to be happy, not just sometimes either. I want you to be happy all the time," he said softly, it almost coming out as a whisper.

I was happy when I was with him, but I wasn't happy when I could tell that he wasn't happy. He was trying to hide it, but I could see right through him. He wasn't fooling anyone but himself.

I wanted him to tell me, but I guess he would when he was ready, so all I could do was wait.

"Me too," I agreed. My eyes finally met Luke's, but they fluttered closed when he pressed his lips to mine.


	36. Private

Kate's POV

Our lips collided under the water, making a fire ignite in the pit of my stomach. My arms stayed by my side, me being confused about where to rest my hands.

I could feel all of the unsaid words, all of the hidden things and all of my worries disappear with his lips on mine. It was like nothing mattered except us at this moment, and it felt so good to not have to think about anything else but him.

Luke's hands, which were placed on either side of my cheeks, removed themselves and found mine, interlocking our fingers. After a few more seconds, he pulled away before leaning back in and kissing me again briefly.

"I love you, like, a lot," he said. He detached our hands and moved his around my waist, pulling me close to him. I rested my head on his chest, just letting the water of the shower run down my back.

I started to wonder how long it would be before the water ran cold, but I assumed it wouldn't for a long time since we were in a resort where a large portion of people could possibly be taking a steaming hot shower at the same time.

I could hear the rapid beating of his heart, but his chest rose and fell at a steady pace. I could only imagine that mine was the same.

"I love you, Luke," I finally stated. I felt him kiss the top of my head before pulling away again.

He reached behind him to grab the soap and a washcloth. His hair, much like mine, was completely soaked at this point. He poured some of the gel-like liquid into the cloth and started rubbing it together until suds and bubbles started to form.

Once it was lathered to his satisfaction, he reached his free hand out. I raised an eyebrow, and he nodded, signaling that he did actually want me to give him my arm so he could wash it.

I reached my hand out, and he took my wrist in his grasp. The soapy cloth in his hands trailed up and down my arm, leaving bubbles in its path.

The farther up my arm he traveled, the faster my heart started to race. At one point he was focusing solely on cleaning my skin, and then he just started staring into my eyes as he completed his work.

The thick fog from the hot shower was starting to become even thicker from the way he was touching me and looking at me so innocently at the same time. I tore my gaze away from his as he went across my collar bones and shoulders to move to my other arm.

His actions were awfully slow, teasing even, and I didn't think I liked it. I wanted something, anything, to happen already.

He continued to drag the cloth up and down my other arm until he got to my neck, where a lot of the purple marks that he left me earlier were. He started walking closer to me as he washed behind my neck and down my back.

Just before he got to my butt, he brought the cloth back to the front of my body and started gliding it across my torso, where the rest of the love bites were. I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt his hand cup my right breast. I looked up at him, and he was watching my face, gauging my reaction.

There was nothing super special about my chest really. If you asked me, I would say I had the body of a pre-pubescent twelve-year-old. I literally wore an A, which is the smallest cup size, but I guess it had its advantages.

I was always told that boys only went for girls with large breasts, but I was starting to realize that, that particular statement wasn't the case. The girls at school would always pick on me because I was smaller than everyone else and because I was such a late bloomer, and me being the sensitive person that I was and still am, I took those things to heart.

I would always cry, and I'd tell my mum about it. She'd usually take me to get ice cream or to buy a new shirt or whatever, and most of the time she would invite Luke if he wanted to come, just so I had someone my age to hang out with. He was my only friend.

By the time I turned fourteen, my dad's job started picking up, and he was away almost all of the time. It's a lot better now than it used to be, but he's still gone way more than I want him to be. It was around this time that I was introduced to Michael, Calum, and Ashton, and we all became really close very fast. We just kind of had this bond that could never be recreated, and I was thankful that I had them in my life.

They were the only ones that would hang out with me.

When I was fifteen, the same thing happened to my mom. This resulted in me having to stay at Luke's house all the time to the point where I practically lived there. The boys would come over, and we would all just enjoy each other's company.

Luke always accepted me for me, and that's all I could ever ask for. Even when we weren't dating, he still made me feel really special, and I appreciated that.

I've always loved Luke, it was just super platonic at first, and after the first time I had a crush on him didn't go so well, I didn't want to be hurt again. I didn't want to like him anymore, but I couldn't help it. I could only deny my feelings but for so long.

After gently kneading for a few seconds, he moved on to my other breast, but he massaged it a little more vigorously. He continued to walk forward, making me stumble backward until my back was against the wall.

The soapy cloth, trailed along my skin once more until it reached the top of my thigh, and he bent down so he could scrub both my legs clean. He quickly washed my butt, and when he was done, his hand ghosted over my private before he attached it to me and began to softly rub in circular motions.

I threw my head back and squeezed my eyes shut as a wave of pleasure that I hadn't felt in a long washed over me.

"Luke," I gasped. This made him stop his movement altogether, and I whimpered at the loss of contact.

I opened my eyes to find him taking the shower head attachment down from its post. He walked back over to me, with his bottom lip between his teeth. He put his hand in the flowing water to make sure it wasn't too hot before pointing it towards me and letting it wash all of the suds away.

He came closer to increase the pressure of the water as he let it roam my entire body. Most of the soap was gone when he got on his knees to get rid of the rest on my legs.

Once I was free of bubbles, Luke dropped the showerhead and attached his lips to my hip. He moved straight across to my other hip, biting and sucking a few places. I let out a ton of soft moans, and my fingers tangled themselves in his hair.

His mouth returned to the very center of me, and he left open-mouthed kisses in a trail until his lips were a few centimeters away from mine.

His forehead was pressed against mine, and in a desperate attempt to connect our lips, I leaned forward. Before my lips could even touch his, he pulled away and brought his mouth to my ear.

"Your turn," he whispered. My breathing hitched and almost got caught in my throat.

I wasted no time getting a new cloth and lathering it once the soap was on it. I wasn't slow and teasing with Luke, I was quick and straight to the point.

The entire time I was washing him, I avoided one particular area. He was already hard, and I wasn't sure what would happen if I touched it.

After cleaning everything except him, Luke grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving to get the showerhead to rinse him off.

His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes were fluttering open and closed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He breathed in deeply before answering.

"I just-I-Can you..." he stumbled over his words, cutting himself off by smashing his lips against mine.

At first, I was a little surprised by his sudden actions, but I soon relaxed into the kiss.

He was the one pressed against the wall at this point and used one of his hands to grab mine, but he couldn't control himself as he was shaking a lot.

"Tell me what you want," I instructed against his lips.

"I want you to touch me," he said. I pushed some of the hair covering his forehead back off his face and smiled, but he was having it.

"There, is that better?" I questioned, partially knowing that didn't satisfy him.

"Kate, please. Don't tease, it's not nice," he whined. He took my hand and wrapped it around his length. He guided me to pump up and down, and after a few, he let go and had me do it on my own.

I loved how loved to come off as tough in almost every situation, but he was really just a big softie. He became so vulnerable in situations like this, letting the pleasure take over his entire being. I loved to hear the soft whimpers and groans fall from his lips just as much as he told me he liked when I called out his name.

His head fell back, resting on the wall as I continued to give him the best hand job that I could manage. His eyes were tightly closed, and his face was red.

"F-Fuck...Katherine, I-" he stopped mid-sentence, and his eyes flew open. An expression of fear and panic overtook his face, which made me completely confused. He wiped a hand over his face and exhaled loudly.

"Luke, what's the matter? What happened?" I asked. I wasn't completely sure where things were headed, but it was really peculiar for him to just freak out in the middle of everything. There had to be something wrong, and I wanted to find out sooner rather than later.

"Can you, um, just leave me alone for a second?" he pleaded. I knew he wasn't trying to be mean or anything because the look on his face said that he was genuinely afraid for whatever reason.

"Yeah, sure. Take as much time as you need," I said, before sliding the door back and stepping out of the shower. I grabbed a towel from off of the towel rack, and I wrapped it around my body. I exited the bathroom and entered our bedroom, for the weekend, so I could find some more comfortable clothes to wear.

Whilst getting dressed, I tried to figure out what could've possibly made Luke get so turned off so quickly, but I was having trouble coming up with logical answers. Somewhere in between me making a mental diagram of what was going on and the television in the background going, I fell asleep.  
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Luke's POV

I watched Kate as she got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself through the foggy door. She seemed so confused when asked her to leave, but her face read as more hurt.

Things had been going so well over the past couple of days, and I just had to go and ruin it with my overthinking, which really wasn't in my control anymore.

I knew she probably wanted me to confess and tell her everything that was making me so disturbed, but it wasn't that easy. She would probably think that I was going mental.

All I wanted to do was spend some quality time with her after a long three weeks, and I couldn't even do that because of the tainted image that played in my head every time I closed my eyes. It was beginning to get a bit ridiculous, and I wasn't sure if it would ever stop or not.

After standing in the shower for an additional five minutes trying to figure all of my problems out in my head, I stood under the water to get the remaining soap off of my body so I could get out. I turned the water off once I was done rinsing, and I wrapped a towel around my waist after I got out.

I was going to get dressed right away, but I decided to stay in the bathroom for a little while longer just I would have a reasonable explanation as to why I freaked out when Kate and I could've potentially had sex in the shower.

I placed my palms on the counter, and I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My face was starting to hold a little more life into it, probably because of the rest, I got for two nights in a row. I ran a hand through my hair, making it stick up a little, before flopping over because of the length.

I took a seat in the middle of the floor of the bathroom, and I curled my knees up to my chest.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get the image of Kate and Calum out of my head. Even though I wasn't there, I could picture it so clearly in my mind.

I forgave Kate, that was the first step. We were on great terms, and I knew that even with what happened between her and Calum, she stilled only loved me. It was a mistake, I was sure, and I knew it only happened because she was hurt, and I was the one who hurt her.

We weren't together at the time, is what I told myself everyday. She didn't know, so I couldn't fault her. I wasn't sure if she had the same feelings for me before that day, but her actions showed that she most definitely did.

I couldn't have broken her heart if she didn't love me in the first place.

Thirty minutes later, I stood up from the floor to finally go get dressed. I used all the thinking time I needed, and I knew that it was time to tell Kate about the nightmares. I realized that if someone other than myself knew, it would lift the weight off of my chest, and maybe I would be able to breathe again. If she knew, it wouldn't haunt me anymore.

I knew for a fact that I had her support, and she was willing to help me through any problem that I had. 

I made my way to the door, and I twisted the knob slowly. I opened the door to find Kate sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed. The only thing she was wearing was another one of my shirts. I didn't mind though because I'd packed several.

I went over to one of the drawers that I'd put some of my clothes in when we first got here, and I pulled out a pair of boxers and mesh shorts. I was already dry from sitting around for thirty minutes, so I slipped them on quickly.

I put my towel on the hook right behind the bathroom door. I walked to where my bag was, and I got out a random shirt and put it on.

The television was playing How I Met Your Mother in the background, so I crawled onto the bed and laid down next to her. It was almost like she could sense my presence because she rolled over until her head was rested against my chest.

I reacted immediately by putting my arms around her, and I placed a reassuring kiss to her forehead. 

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After about six straight episodes of watching Barney Stinson project his "playbook" schemes where he backs up his outlandish ideas with concrete, detailed steps for pulling them off. I got up to get some water from the mini kitchen.

I carefully untangled myself from Kate, and she stirred a little but did not wake. I walked out of the room and to the kitchen, where I got a glass out of the cabinet.

I knew that I wanted to tell Kate about the nightmares, but I still wasn't sure to what extent. I didn't want her to worry about me, and I was positive that this would make her become extremely cautious around me.

I wanted to tell her as soon as I got out of the bathroom, just so I didn't have the chance to talk myself out of it, but she was asleep, and I didn't want to wake her up with my strange confession.

I filled my cup with some water from a bottle in the refrigerator, and I brought it to my lips. The water was really cold, and I could feel it traveling throughout my body, which was a very satisfying feeling if you asked me.

I sat down at the table and placed my cup in front of me, taking a drink every few seconds or so.

I kept replaying the words I would say to her in my head to the point where it would sound robotic. I just didn't want to screw it up, so I made sure I memorized everything I wanted to say.

A few minutes later, I finished my water, and I set the glass on the countertop. I took a deep breath before going back into our room.

Just to my luck, Kate was awake again. Her eyes fluttered closed before opening once more, and she sat up. I walked over to the bed slowly, and I sat down next to her.

"Hey, how did you sleep?" I asked. She stretched her arms out forward before shrugging.

"Uh, it was okay, I guess," she replied. "What time is it?"

I looked around to the bedside table where the alarm clock was, and I checked. "It's about four, so you were asleep for, like, three hours," I said chuckling.

"Oh wow," she giggled. "So, what's up?" I took another deep breath before speaking. I didn't know how she was going to react to what I was about to tell her, but I could only hope that it wasn't terrible.

"I need to talk you about something," I stated, not meeting her eyes. She placed a hand on top of mine, and it calmed me down but sped up the speed of my heart at the same time.

"What about?" I looked into her eyes for a split second before focusing my attention back on my lap.

"My nightmares." I confessed simply.  
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Kate's POV

He was finally going to tell me what's been haunting him for a solid three weeks. All I wanted to do was be there for him, and I couldn't do that if he didn't tell me what was going on.

He inhaled deeply before releasing it, making it come out as more of a sigh.

"Um, I wanted to tell you because I thought that it would help, and also because I knew that you wouldn't judge me or anything like that. Plus, I just really wanted someone to know," he started. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Of course, Luke. Go on," I encouraged.

Before I fell asleep, I came up with   
a few things that could possibly be the culprit of Luke's bad dreams. My final guess landed on all of the drama that happened between Calum and me.

I remember how upset he was the day he found out, more so with Calum than me. Even after he asked for a few days of space, he was gone for a whole three weeks because of a mistake that I made.

That had to be the only reason, and if it wasn't, I don't know what was.

"I have dreams about you and Cal," he said plainly. I looked up at him, and he was staring straight ahead. The was no emotion on his face, just a blank expression.

"What about me and Cal?" I asked. If he didn't want to go into too much detail, I wouldn't make him, but if he was willing, it would give me a better idea of what I needed to do to help him.

"Just, uh, just you guys together." I could see his eyebrows scrunch together, not out of confusion, but out of pain.

"Doing?"

Luke squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head rapidly. He brought his hands to his face, covering so I couldn't read him.

"I don't want to talk about it," he whimpered.

"That's okay. Come here," I said honestly. I opened my arms wide and he fell into them. I knew there were only a few things that could stir him up this way, but I didn't want to think about it too much. He would tell me the whole story if he was ready, and I would wait.

"I'm sorry."

"You're fine, you don't have to say anything you don't want to," I told him. His head was rested in my lap and he let out yet another long sigh.

"I know, but I just told you that I'd tell you, and now I feel bad for not telling you the whole story," he explained.

"You told me enough. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to spill," I replied. He turned his head so that he was facing me and looking right into my eyes.

"Ugh, I love you so much. Cuddle me forever," he said smiling. This was the first time he'd smiled since breakfast, and I had to devise a plan so that he could be happy all the time. That was the same thing he wanted for me.

"Ditto, Hemmings." He reached up and planted a soft kiss to my lips before put his head back in my lap.

Even though we'd already said 'I love you' on multiple occasions, there really was no way to describe the way I felt about Luke. It was like love and then some, and it was pure bliss.

I wanted to feel like this for the rest of my life, and I was completely certain that Luke could give it to me if I stayed by his side.

"Don't be rude, Katherine. Say it back." Luke sat up from his laying position and pulled me onto his lap.

"I love you," I said laughing. He pecked me on the lips before pushing me back and hovering over me.

"What's so funny," he asked, a sinister expression converting his face. I knew what was about to happen. He did this all the time when we were like fourteen.

"Luke, don't you dare," I warned, and the smile on his face grew.

"Do what?" he questioned cluelessly. He brought his hands to my sides and started vigorously tickling me. I shrieked and erupted into a fit of giggles, which were being mixed with Luke's laughs.

"Luke...stop...I beg...you," I pleaded while gasping for air, but he just kept going. He knew I was ticklish, and he always used that as an advantage.

His attack went on for a few more seconds, and then he pulled away and rested his hands on either side of my head. His playful demeanor quickly changed to a serious one.

"I love you more," he said, once he caught his breath.

A small flutter occurred in my stomach at his words alone, and it was getting stronger the longer he stared into my eyes.

"Well, you can believe that all you want, but there's not a chance," I retorted. He smiled and wasted no time connecting our lips.

The fluttering that was happening turned into fireworks, and instead of only being in my stomach, it surged throughout my entire body.  
.  
.  
.  
Luke and I made out for a few minutes, and then we went back to cuddling. We'd watched a few movies and ordered room service for dinner, but right now, we were watching Mulan. My phone started ringing just as Mulan ran away from home to pretend to be a man so her dad wouldn't have to go to war.

Luke mindlessly reached over to the nightstand and grabbed it, handing it to me, his eyes glued to the television screen. I answered without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kate," the person on the line said. I immediately recognized the voice to be Ashton. He hadn't spoken to me properly in weeks.

I looked over to Luke, and he was drifting off to sleep. I quietly got out of bed and slipped out of the bedroom, so I could talk without waking Luke up.

I decided to sit at the table in the mini kitchen to carry on my conversation.

"Ash?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time," he giggled. I missed Ashton, but he purposefully avoided me because he didn't agree with Calum and I's actions. He was pissed off.

"Only because you avoid me," I responded. I just wanted him to get straight to the point so I could continue watching my movie.

"I'm sorry. I was angry, not completely at you, but with Calum. I helped you realize what you really wanted, and I'm sure he knew about it, which is why I don't get why what happened, happened. I was so sure that you loved him enough to be smart about things, and that incident proved me wrong. I know Luke wasn't as mad at all, so I guess I took on the role of the angry dad," he chuckled. "I just wanted to keep everything in order, but that whole almost-sex thing threw it off. I didn't know what was going to happen, so I got scared. I should've talked to you about it like I did when the same thing happened with Thomas, but I didn't want to say something I thought I would regret until I calmed down. I'm sorry," he finished.

He sounded incredibly sincere, and that's all it took. Ashton was like my big brother, and I didn't want to lose him over something silly. I was glad he was talking to me again because I didn't know how much longer I would last without him.

"Okay, I forgive you, but is that all you called to say?"

"No, actually. I need your help," he said.

"Wow, you call and get my forgiveness just to ask me to help you. I feel like I'm being used," I laughed, which caused Ashton to giggle once again. He knew I was just joking, so there were no hard feelings. "Really, though, what's up?"

"Cal has been trying to apologize to Luke for about a week now, but Luke isn't having it. He either won't answer Calum's calls, or he'll answer and be rude before hanging up, therefore not giving Calum the chance to speak," he explained.

Oh, so that's who Luke was on the phone with at breakfast, and that's why he was being so mean. He didn't want to talk about it at first, but when he told me about the nightmares and why he had them, it made me feel bad and it brought out my sympathy.

"What do you want me to do about that?"

"I'm coming into town tomorrow, and I know you guys are there because Luke told me. I can bring Calum, and we can all go out to lunch and talk it out."

"Luke doesn't want to talk to Calum right now, but I'm sure he will when he's ready, Ash." I didn't want to get in the middle of another mess, so I tried to steer clear of drama as best as I could.

"Kate, please. I just want us all to be friends again and hang out like we used to. I'm lonely!"

"I can't do that, Ash. Calum and I aren't even on speaking terms right now. I haven't said anything to him in weeks. It'd just be way too awkward."

"Fine, I won't bring him with, but could we still get lunch? It would be nice to catch up and stuff. Maybe, I could convince Luke to talk to Calum without him actually being there," he proposed.

It would be nice to go out to eat and catch up, so I agreed. I didn't know how well Ashton's plan to get Luke to talk to Calum would work, but it was worth a shot.

"Okay, what time?"

"Does one-thirty sound good?"

"Yup sounds good," I said cheerfully.

"This feels good," Ashton said just as I was about to hang up.

"What?"

"Talking to you. I'm glad we made up." I could see him smiling widely in my head, and I nodded, even though he couldn't see me.

"Same here, Irwin. I'll see you tomorrow at one-thirty then?"

"You bet! Bye, Kate. I'll see you later."

"Bye!" I ended the call as soon as we said our last words, and I headed back into the bedroom.

Unexpectedly, Luke was sitting up, not asleep anymore like I'd left him a few minutes ago.

"Who was that?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ashton. He's coming into the city tomorrow, and he wanted to know if we want to go out for lunch at one-thirty," I responded. I had no reason to lie. Luke and Ashton were on good terms, so I was sure he wouldn't decline.

"Oh, okay," he said yawning and closing his eyes. "Come back to bed." He reached his arms out, inviting me in.


	37. Longer

Kate's POV

It was Friday night and my best friends and I were at a party. We didn't go out all the time, but when we did, it was great.

We'd just come here to have some fun so we could forget about the troubles we'd had at school, and wherever else, in the past week.

I was stood by an island in the kitchen of the house we were in, with a red solo cup between my two hands. It was my first drink of the night, and I was trying to make it last as long as possible, by taking small sips every now and then. I just stood there alone, staring off into space and occasionally nodding my head to the music that was being played.

All of a sudden, I felt a tug on my arm. I snapped out of my so-called trance and looked up to meet my eyes with a pair of shimmering blue ones. It was one of my best friends, Luke.

As soon as we made eye contact, he gave me a small smile and tilted his head in the direction of the dance floor. I put my cup on the counter, and he dragged me to the dance floor, where he started dancing with me.

I'd met Luke when I was six, and we'd been really close ever since then. I could tell him all of my deep, dark secrets, and he could do the same with me. No one could tear us apart, even if they tried.

Through Luke, I met Calum, Ashton, and Michael. We all became friends fairly quickly, and we were kind of nobodies, but personally, I didn't want to be popular. That seemed too stressful.

We just kind of went to class, and I made sure the boys got their work done. Then, after school, we would all hang out together.

I had feelings for Luke, at one point. That was almost a year ago, and now, my feelings had faded, luckily.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a slow song started to play, and Luke pulled me closer. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck shyly, closing the gap between us.

He placed both of his hands on the small of my back, interlocking his fingers. There was practically no space in between us, so the only thing I could do was stare into his beautiful blue eyes.

He smiled at me, and I spotted a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Why would he be nervous around me? We've known each other for a solid eleven years, so it confused me. Even though I didn't like to admit it to myself, I sort of got nervous around him too.

Luke buried his face in my neck, and I could feel his nose tickle the skin there. This made me shudder. With his steady breaths blowing against my neck, it was almost like the combination of that and him being within such close proximity to me almost made me dizzy.

I tried to focus my attention on something else before I fainted, so I looked around the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Calum dancing with a blonde girl. I recognized her from our engineering class at school. He looked straight at me and winked.

I just rolled my eyes at him as Luke's lips had found my jaw. He left small pecks and occasionally sucked on the skin there.

With our hips still moving on the beat of the music, Luke lowered his hands until they were touching my butt. I huffed and used one of my hands to move it back to my waist.

He then removed one of his hands and put it under my chin, tilting my head upward. He stared into my eyes for the longest time that I could've sworn he was trying to get to my soul. I'm not sure at what point we both leaned in, but we were kissing.

It took me two minutes to finish my water, so I continued to watch the television until it went to a commercial break, which was five minutes later.

I'd given Luke a good seven extra minutes to sleep, therefore it was time to try and get him up again.

I went into the bedroom, and he was lying on his back. From where I was stood, I couldn't tell if he was still sleeping or not. One arm was draped across his stomach, and the other was laying across his eyes.

I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, right where his torso was. I leaned in, placing a kiss on my lips briefly. This made him rollover.

"Luke, it's been like seven minutes. Wake up," I whined. I was so bored that I even resorted to watching kiddie shows. I needed some sort of entertainment, and I wouldn't get it if Luke was asleep.

"I don't want to get up. We can skip lunch and make up an excuse about why we couldn't make it later. Come lay down with me," he mumbled. As tempting as that sounded, I didn't want to just ditch Ashton. I hadn't spoken to him in weeks, and this was a good way to catch up.

"We can't do that. Well, we can, but I'm hungry. We slept in, and I haven't had anything to eat since we had popcorn last night," I said.

He rolled over so that he was now facing me, his bright blue eyes meeting my green ones. I could already tell, he was fully awake, so there would be no way he was going back to sleep.

"We can get room service?" he proposed, but I really wanted to go out, so I shook my head.

"Luke, please. The place Ashton is meeting us at has a rate of four-point-eight stars, so their food is probably incredible," I argued.

He sleepily smiled and said, "We can have sex." I coughed loudly nearly choking on my own spit. He sat up quickly, laughing at my expense. "I'm serious. We can do it right now. We can even go in the shower and finish what we started yesterday."

"No, Luke. We can do all that stuff later. Let's go out." He started taking off his shirt, and once it was off, he kissed me on the cheek quickly before getting out of the bed on the opposite side.

"Okay, I'll be back in like fifteen minutes," he informed. Luke walked into the bathroom, and seconds later, I heard the water in the shower start running.

Taking another shower with Luke did sound appealing, but I knew that we wouldn't get to do anything of the things he mentioned. Right before things got really heated, he would always back out, which was super awkward for me.

I didn't want to keep thinking about it, but it was starting to consume my every thought. Yesterday, I was turned on and then flicked back off like a light switch, and my needs still had yet to be filled. I was starting to get restless, but I didn't think Luke could tell because I was suppressing it so much.

About ten minutes passed, and the shower water turned off. Then, I heard the sink turn on. He came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped securely around his waist.

His hair was flat on top of his head, and his body was glistening from the droplets of water. The temperature in the room rose by at least twenty degrees, and my cheeks heated up as well because I was thinking of things that I probably shouldn't be imagining.

I had to leave because I knew nothing was going to happen to satisfy me, and I didn't want to torture myself further by watching him change.

I went back to the couch and continued watching the kid's shows. I checked the time once more and found it to be one-oh-six already. Ten minutes later, he poked his head out of the door.

"Can you help me dry my hair?" he asked.

I nodded and got up, following him to the bathroom. When we got in there, he lifted me on the counter so I could be closer to level with the back of his head, and he stood between my legs with his back facing me.

I quickly dried the back of his head before having him turn around so I could do the front. Just as I thought I was going to finish without him trying something, when I was drying the last section, he started untying the flannel around my waist.

I did not want him to start something he would end up not finishing, and I couldn't help but think that would happen again.

"Luke, what are you doing?" The flannel was finally off of me, and his hands snaked under my shirt, resting on my sides. My breathing started to quicken, but I was trying to hide it as best as I could.

"What do you want me to do?" he retaliated. His hands crawled further up my midsection, and then they went around back, playing with the clasp that was holding my bra together.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

"I want you to stop," I said, my voice slightly betraying me at the end. His hands stopped fiddling with my bra, and they slid down my back, making goosebumps rise all over my body. "Luke, stop."

"Why?" His hands did a little more wandering before settling on my sides again, squeezing them lightly.

"You never finish the job. I don't want to get turned on if you won't do anything about it," I explained. He moved his hands from under my shirt to the top of my thighs.

"Who said I wouldn't do anything about it?" he asked. By now, I'd put the blow dryer down and turned it off.

"Over these past couple days, you haven't, so-" I was cut off by Luke smashing hip lips against mine. Catching me off guard, he easily slipped his tongue into my mouth.

I didn't want anything to happen if he was just trying to prove a point, so I put my hand against his chest, and I slowly pushed him off of me.

"Ugh, I hate this so much," he said, back away from me and running a hand through his now dry hair.

"What?"

"Nothing," he snapped. He walked out of the bathroom and hopped off the counter quickly to follow him.

As I entered the bedroom, I took a glance at the clock, and it read one-twenty-two. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and headed to the front door.

I walked out of the bedroom and saw Luke picking up his keys from off the table. He wasn't saying anything, but he walked out of the front door, expecting me to follow, which I did.

He was speed walking down the hallway, and I struggled to keep up.

I didn't mean to make him upset, I just didn't want to be disappointed yet again. Even though he said he would finish this time, I had trouble believing him. Anytime we would even get close to do anything, he would stop suddenly, and it would get pretty awkward. I didn't want that to happen again.

If we were going to go, I wanted to go all the way.

We went to the elevator, got on, and waited until we got to the bottom floor. Luke led me to his car once we got outside, and we got in without a word.

He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road after he stared at the car, and at the first stoplight, I grabbed the hand that was resting on his own knee and laced it with mine. He didn't seem to react.

"Luke," I sighed, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just get so frustrated with myself sometimes, but I promise it's nothing you need to worry about," he said quickly.

He turned a corner and pulled into a parking lot. Just like the GPS promised, we'd arrived after three minutes. From where we were parked, I could see Ashton inside the small café.

"Okay, but Luke, I just don't want you to be upset." He took his keys out of the ignition and used his other hand to take my other one, making me face him.

"I'm not upset, I promise. You were right."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He must've noticed that I was looking everywhere but at him, so he said, "Look at me." Reluctantly, I moved my eyes to his, and he smiled at me, biting his lip ever so subtlety. That made my vision blur a little. "I love you, baby girl."

He leaned in a pecked me on the lips, and I felt a whole lot better. The tenseness that I'd felt earlier vanished and turned into relaxation.

"I love you," I told him, truthfully. He let go of my hands and opened his car door, getting out. I did the same, and he met me at my side

"Are you ready to go inside?" he asked. I nodded, and his hand immediately found mine again. He pulled me in close a kissed the top of my head.

We walked inside hand in hand, and when we got to the podium, I told the waitress standing there who we were with.

"We're with Ashton Irwin," I stated, my eyes scanning the place to try and spot him. "He was just in here a second ago. Curly blonde hair, hazel eyes?" The waitress nodded and motioned for us to follow her.

"He decided he wanted to be seated outside on the deck. Just follow me, and I'll take you to where he's sitting," she said as we approached the back door.

As soon as she opened it, I was met with the bright smile of one of my best friends, Ashton. He waved us over, and the waitress left once we got to his table. We were the only ones on the deck.

"Luke! Kate! How've you two been?" he exclaimed. I laughed as he stood up to embrace Luke and me.

"We've been good," I responded. We all took our seats, and Luke put his hand on the top of my thigh, rubbing it softly. "What about you?"

"I've been okay, I guess. My life's pretty boring without you guys, so yeah," he said. Luke started going through the menu, and I was about to do the same when Ashton stopped me.

"What's that?" he asked, his eyes wandering to the ring on my left hand. "Luke, tell me you didn't-"

"It's just a promise ring, Ash," I told him giggling. Luke gave my thigh a light squeeze, and I proceeded to pick up my menu.

"Oh, okay. You gave me a heart attack there for a second," he giggled. Everything felt nice so far. There was no awkwardness or tension, and I was glad for that.

I was about to finally make a decision on what I wanted to eat when the door to the deck opened. No one seemed to pay it any attention, and I wish I didn't either.

Out walked Calum, even though I made it clear to Ashton that he couldn't bring him. He pulled the shirt he was wearing further down and made his way over to our table. He stopped before he could even take a step after he realized that Luke and I were here.

After what felt like minutes of him contemplating whether he should make a run for it or not, he slowly walked over to our table and took a seat.

That explained the extra chair and menu.

Ashton looked up and noticed that he was back and gave me an apologetic look. Luke stilled hadn't noticed that we'd been joined by another person, putting all of his concentration on the menu. I glared at Ashton and kicked one of his legs under the table.

"Ow, shit!" he muttered under his breath. He doubled over to run some of the pain away, and that when Luke looked up and saw Calum.

He stayed quiet, and so did Calum. Luke sighed and kept his attention everywhere but our table. I didn't want to say anything out loud, so I grabbed my phone to text Ashton.

 **Kate**  
 _You said you weren't going to bring him_.

I pressed send and waited for his phone to ding. Seconds later, that's exactly what happened, and he picked it up to answer.

**Ash x**   
_sorry, but they need to talk this out, and this is the only way._

**Kate**   
_Whatever. If something bad happens, it's your fault._

**Ash x**   
_nothing's going to happen, stop worrying._

I rolled my eyes.

**Kate**   
_You're right, nothing is going to happen because we're going to get our food and go._

**Ash x**   
_no, please stay._

**Kate**   
_If Luke wants to leave, we're going._

Ashton huffed from across the table, and before anyone could say anything. A different waitress from the one who escorted us out here walked up to our table, pencil, and notepad in hand.

"Hello everyone. I'm Maddi, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" she introduced herself in a polite tone and then focused on the notepad to catch everyone's drink orders.

"Can I have Coke, and a lemonade with no ice, the Coke for Luke and the lemonade for Kate?" Luke ordered for both of us. I'm glad he knew me well enough to know what I wanted without having to ask. She scribbled it down and waited for the next person to speak.

"I would like Sprite, please. For Ashton," Ashton said. It was Calum's turn, but he didn't say anything. He just sat there and stared straight ahead. "Cal, are you going to get anything to drink?" Ashton asked him.

"Uh, can I have water please," he spoke, and it was almost inaudible. Somehow the waitress managed to catch it, and she wrote it down.

"Okay, I have a Coke for Luke, a lemonade with no ice for Kate, a Sprite for Ashton, and water for Cal?" Maddi checked. When we all nodded, confirming she was correct, she said, "Alright, I'll be back with your drinks and to take your orders in a few minutes."

As soon as the brunette waitress was out of sight I leaned over to Luke and whispered in his ear, "We don't have to stay if you don't want to. We can get our food and leave."

He shook his head and then rested it on my shoulder, interlocking our fingers under the table. With his free hand he started playing with the ring on my finger until Maddi came back with our drinks.

She placed each of them in front of us, along with some straws, and got out her notepad, ready to take our orders.

"Can I have a chicken caesar wrap with parmesan cheese?" I requested. She scribbled it down and made eye contact with Luke, signaling him to go next. Luke sat up and opened the menu to the page where his food selection was before ordering.

"Um, I would like a tomato and mozzarella panini," he said, closing up the menu and taking a sip of his Coke. Once she moved on to the next person, he put his head back on my shoulder.

"Okay, may I have the chipotle chicken sandwich?" Ashton ordered. I saw Calum tap Ashton's shoulder, and when he got his attention, he leaned over and whispered something to him. A few seconds later Ashton spoke again. "Can he have the rosemary chicken dumpling soup?" he asked, pointing to Calum.

She nodded, repeated our orders back to us, and left after telling us how long the wait would be. The first few minutes were silent but then Ashton decided to speak.

"Luke, I haven't seen you around the school in a while. Where've you been?" I could feel Luke tense, so I squeezed his hand for some reassurance.

"Um, I was allowed to stay home and work online. I still had the same due dates as everyone else though. I just had trouble sleeping, and it was affecting the time I would wake up. My mum contacted the school, and they said it was okay if I stayed home, I just couldn't miss any assignments," he explained. Ashton nodded along, and Calum was still staring down at the table, not saying a word.

I kissed him on his forehead, and he looked up and smiled at me, so I leaned down and connected our lips for a split second.

"Okay, okay, we don't need the visuals," Ashton said, covering his eyes. Luke laughed, and surprisingly, so did Calum.

Ashton and I made small talk, and Luke and Calum just stayed quiet until Maddi came back out with our food. She put the tray of food on another table nearby, and she handed each of us our orders one by one.

"Be careful, it's hot," she warned Ashton, Luke, and Calum. She left after passing out all of the food, and we all ate in silence.  
.  
.  
.  
Once we were done with our food, Ashton had Maddi bring the check, and he paid for all of us. She brought Luke and Calum to-go containers for the part of their meal that they didn't finish, and when she brought back Ashton's card and receipt, we all got up and left.

We walked through the door connecting the deck to the inside of the small restaurant, and we exited out of the front door. Ashton slung his arm around my shoulders, and Luke grabbed my hand. Calum was walking behind us.

"Kate, I don't want to leave. I had so much fun. This is all ending too soon," he confessed, fake crying. I giggled and so did he.

I had fun hanging out with Ashton. We used to always hang out and talk until I messed it up, but since we'd forgiven each other, we were back to normal, and I couldn't ask for anything better.

"Follow us back to our hotel," I invited. Luke's head snapped in my direction at the same time as Ashton's. Except, Luke's eyes were wide with disbelief, and Ashton's held amusement, like he couldn't wait to keep hanging out with me. "Luke, are you okay with that?"

I didn't want them to come if Luke didn't want them to. By the looks of his face, he didn't, but I wanted to check first.

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, and with that, he detached his hand from mine and headed to the car.

I quickly told Ashton and Calum goodbye, and I followed Luke. He was already in the car with it running when I got there, so I got in and we waited for Ashton to be ready to follow us. When he was, we pulled off, and Ashton was right behind us.

It took us a bit longer to get to our hotel because of rush hour traffic, and we had to keep making sure that Ashton's car was behind ours. Once we arrived at the hotel, we parked in the parking garage, and we waited for Ashton and Calum to meet us at one of the side doors.

Luke used his key card to let us in, and we found the nearest elevator so we could head up to our room. The whole way there Luke still hadn't spoken to me. He didn't even touch me while we were in the car, which was incredibly rare.

When we got to our room, Luke let us in, and Ashton and Calum literally gaped when they saw how beautiful the place was.

"This looks awesome," Ashton praised. Luke went straight for the bedroom, and he shut the door once he got in there. "What's his deal?"

I shrugged, even though I had an idea why he was mad.

"You guys can watch television or whatever. I'm going to go check on Luke," I told the boys. They nodded and went to the couch, sitting on it and turning the television to a random channel.

I went into Luke and I's shared room, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. The curtains were open, and he was staring out the window, not paying any attention to the world around him, just what was happen win outside.

"Luke," I called. He turned around and his eyes met mine. I went and sat down next to him, but he pulled me onto his lap instead. "What's wrong?"

"I want to be alone with you right now, but Calum and Ashton are right outside this door. They'd probably be able to hear everything," he sighed. So that's why he was upset?

"Oh, I thought you were upset because Calum is here, and you don't want to talk to him."

"Well, yeah, that too, but that's only part of the reason." He nuzzled his face into the side of my neck and closed his eyes.

"I can ask them to leave," I offered, but he shook his head.

"It's fine, they can stay," he said, his voice a little muffled.

"Cool," I replied. We sat in silence for a second before I got an idea. "Remember that lesson you gave me in the janitor's closet at school?" He nodded, and I turned around the rest of the way so I was now straddling him. "We can put it to use."

"I don't think you would be able to handle that," he retaliated, smirking.

"Wanna bet?" Instead of his hands being behind him on either side of his body, he moved them to my hips.

Luke leaned in closer but stopped just before our lips touched. "Try me." That was all it took for me to lean on the rest of the way and smash my lips against his.  
.  
.  
.  
We kissed for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only about ten minutes. We were both shirtless, and just like the other morning, he left loads of love bites on my torso and neck.

He was excited. I could tell by the bulge in his pants. Things were going well, and I almost thought it was going to happen, but as soon as I went for his belt, he froze.

"Wait," he stopped me, breathing hard. I knew this was going to happen.

"What's wrong?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. This has happened every time.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"It's okay, I get it," I told him. He groaned and got off of me. I, in turn, got off the bed to find my shirt, and I slipped it back on quickly.

I went to the mirror in the room and fixed my hair to cover the new hickeys, and I left the room after saying, "You and Calum really need to talk this out. Soon."

I shut the door and walked into the living room, finding Ashton and Calum with their eyes glued to the television.

"Kate, where've you," he started, but his eyes started scanning my body, and they rested on my neck. "Oh."

"We didn't," I confirmed, and he nodded.

"Oh."

Calum looked at me as well, and I shot him a small smile.

"Cal, Luke needs to talk to you," I said. He raised his eyebrows but got up from the couch anyway. He walked over to our room door, and he twisted the knob slowly before walking in and closing it back. "Ash, let's go on an adventure."

He didn't question it, he just got up as well and followed me out of the door.  
.  
.  
.  
Luke's POV

The door to Kate and I's bedroom for the weekend opened, and I half expected it to be Kate, but instead, there stood Calum.

"What do you want?" I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, especially because he was the reason I wasn't mentally stable enough to do anything with my girlfriend.

"I need to talk to you," he said softly. I rolled my eyes.

I still hadn't put my shirt on, but we've seen each other in fewer clothes before, so I didn't care. I thought about it a bit more and realized that if I wanted to make a run for it, I didn't want to be outside this room without a shirt on, so I reached over and grabbed it, slipping it on swiftly.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," I exclaimed. He didn't listen. He just continued to get closer to the bed that I was sitting on.

"Luke, please," he begged, but I wasn't having it.

"What, Calum? What could you possibly want to talk about? I don't have anything to say to you, so leave me alone!" I yelled. He visibly flinched, but again, I didn't care.

"There are plenty of things to talk about. For starters, I want to apologize. I swear-" I cut him off before he could even begin to make up excuses for his messed up motives.

"You should've apologized a long time ago, Calum. You almost had sex with her, when you knew the circumstances. You knew I was in love with her, but you still almost stole what was mine!" It hurt to bring it up again, but I knew this was the only way I would find some sort of relief.

I needed to release all my anger, and what better way was there to do it than to let it out on the one who betrayed me the most.

"I didn't start it, Kate did, and the last time I checked, I fucking stopped anything from happening, so don't blame this all on me!" he shouted. By this point, I was fuming, and I'm pretty sure there was steam coming out of my ears.

"She left me for two weeks, Calum. Two long weeks. I had to tell her that I was in love with her at an airport, right before she had to board her plane and leave. Do you know how hard that was for me to watch her go? It was all because of you and your audacity to be an impulsive idiot! And all you did after she left was pat me on the back and tell me I did a 'good job'. You had the perfect opportunity to tell me, and you kept it to yourself as nothing happened! What kind of best friend does that?" I yelled right back, being out of breath by the time I finished my heart-filled speech.

Half of the stuff I couldn't believe he actually let happened, but I guess you don't know everything about everyone.

"You should've never been on the phone telling someone else you loved them. Maybe if you hadn't screwed yourself up initially, she wouldn't have had the need to call me so I could fix your shit!" he spat.

"I was practicing! I wanted it to be perfect because that's how much I loved her, and you had to go and ruin everything!" We were going back and forth, and it was helping me let some things go. I only hope Kate wasn't still around to hear all of this. "I can't even have sex with my own girlfriend because every time I close my eyes, I see you and her, and it's fucking disgusting to look at. Sometimes I get so antsy, and I can't even take care of myself, let alone let Kate take care of me, because anytime we get close to doing anything, you and she together pop up in my mind, and it's an instant off. It scares the crap out of me. I hate to even think about her with anyone else, and I can't deal with it anymore." I headed towards the door of the bedroom. It was getting way too hot in here, and I needed to leave before I punched a wall or something. That was my escape, but he followed me and said something I thought would never come out of his mouth.

"What if I liked her too?" he questioned, no longer yelling like he was before.

"What the hell did you just say?" I retorted, taking a step closer to him. His breathing picked up as if he got a sudden adrenaline rush, and he straightened his posture a little bit.

"I said: what if I like her too?" he repeated. I gave him an evil glare, but he didn't seem to be fazed by it like he probably would've been a few minutes ago. Instead, he stepped closer.

"Impossible."

"I beg to differ. Just like you, I have feelings too," he huffed. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, apparently, you didn't love her, or even like her, enough to ask her to be your girlfriend. Did you?" The room went dead silent for almost a minute, and when Calum didn't say anything back, I took one step closer to him, now being only a couple of inches away from his face, and said, "That's what I thought."

I turned around, prepared to leave the room and go somewhere to reevaluate my life, but before I could get two steps away, I was quickly whipped around and a full impact punch was thrown to my jaw.  
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Kate's POV

When Ashton and I left the hotel room, he had this bright idea to take me ding-dong-ditching. It was very juvenile, I admit, but it was fun nonetheless.

Once we got tired of knocking on the door and running away, we decided to start pranking some people. We would knock on a door and wait for someone to answer before telling the person in the room some wild, made-up story.

I'm pretty sure they thought we were annoying, but it was fun to us, so we continued this for another few minutes.

We soon got exhausted and decided to go back to the room, so I challenged Ashton to a race back, which he gladly excepted.

I ran to the elevator and closed it before he could realize I'd bolted. He swore loudly before giggling and running for the stairs.

I hopped off the elevator once it got to my floor and looked around for any sign of Ashton. When I didn't see him down the hall on the way to my room, I happily skipped down the hall.

As soon as I got to the door, I took out my keycard from my back pocket, and I slid it into the slot so I could unlock the door. Everything was going just fine until I saw that I was walking in on a full-fledged fight between my boyfriend and Calum.

Calum was sitting on top of Luke and hitting him blow after blow while I screamed at the sight. I didn't want to try and break it up because I didn't feel like getting socked in the face, or anywhere for that matter, by a stray punch. Swear words were thrown around, and I wanted it all to stop.

"You guys, stop!" I screamed, by no one seemed to hear me. They just kept hitting each other.

I never really liked violence, and I hadn't ever been exposed to it, so I didn't know what to do but cry.

I looked outside of our door and saw Ashton walking up the hall. He appeared to be out of breath, but he was probably the only one who could break up this fight.

"Ash, please come quick!" I yelled down the hall. My voice cracked a bit at the end, and that caught his attention. He started running towards the room just as a single tear slipped from my eyes. "Calum and Luke are fighting," I informed him just as he took a step inside.

His eyes widened before he ran over to the boys and yanked Calum away. It was fairly easy since Calum was caught off guard, but once he realized he wasn't able to hit Luke anymore, he started struggling to get back to him. Luckily, Ashton was stronger, so he could hold him back.

"Fuck you, Hemmings!" Calum shouted, but Ashton dragged him out of the room and shut the door before he could break loose again. They didn't have a key, so they'd have to knock to get back in.

I looked over to Luke, and he was sitting up. I raced over to him and crouched down to get to his level. His hair was tousled, he had a busted lip, a bleeding nose, and I could already see a few bruises starting to form on his face.

I tried to examine him, but he flinched and hissed at my every touch. I was now full-on crying even though I was trying so hard not to. I had to be strong for Luke, but it wasn't working. Seeing him so hurt was breaking me.

I sniffled, and when he realized I was crying, he used his thumb to wipe the tears away.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay. Let's just go get you cleaned up, and we can pack and get ready to leave soon," I told him. I stood and helped him up as well, and we headed to the bathroom so I could clean Luke's cuts.

He tried not to make eye contact with me, but I could tell he was crying too.


	38. Stubborn

Kate's POV

I had Luke sit down on the counter, near the sink, while I went into the closet to find a fresh washcloth. When I came back, Luke was sitting exactly where I left him. Except, his elbows were placed on his knees, and his head was rested in his hands.

I walked over to where he was and took a seat next to him on the counter, washcloth in hand. I turned on the faucet of the sink, and I waited until the water warmed a little.

I completely understood why Luke was upset with Calum, but I didn't understand what the need to fight was. I got that there were some unsaid words, but never in a million years did I think they would resort to violence.

I checked the water, and when it felt good, I put the cloth under it for a second to get it a little damp. I tapped his shoulder to get his attention, and when he looked up, I could see a trail of tears that had rolled down his face, but they were starting to dry up. I started on his nose first, wiping up the small amount of blood there. The whole time he sat still, watching me intently.

I switched the water to cold so I could run the blood out, something my mom showed me how to do when I was about twelve. I turned the water back to warm and dipped the cloth in again.

I then moved to his busted lip, dabbing the blood from there. He flinched a little, probably because it stung, but I kept going until it was clean. I repeated these steps until the bleeding stopped, and once I was done, I hopped off the counter and had Luke follow me into our bedroom.

"Stay in here. I'm gonna go get some ice and a few plastic bags," I told him before walking out. I grabbed my key card from off of the table, and I left the room with the ice bucket in hand.

I didn't exactly know where the ice machine was, but I thought I saw one further down the hall, so I went there to check first. There was in fact an ice machine at then of our hall, and there I saw Ashton standing and Calum sitting against the wall across from him.

I could tell Ashton had been yelling at him, but he stopped as soon as he noticed me. Everyone was silent as I filled the ice bucket, and when I looked over to Calum, he looked lost in his own thoughts. He didn't have any cuts or anything on his face, just a bruise on his cheek.

"Hey, Kate. We're going to be heading back home in a few minutes," Ashton said just as I was about to walk away. I turned around and nodded, saying goodbye to the both of them, then going back to Luke and I's room.

Luke was laying down on our bed with his legs hanging over the edge when I came back. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping.

I put the bucket of ice on the bed, and I scooped out even portions to put in the bags I found in the cabinet.

"Luke," I called. His eyes popped open, and he sat up quickly. I instructed him to sit against the headboard of the bed, so he moved there. I handed him two of the bags and said, "Put one of your jaw and the other on your cheek so there won't be as much discoloration or swelling."

He did as I said, and I started to go around the room and pick up random clothing articles that were laying around so I could put them back in our bags. I did this until all of our clothes were picked up, going through the dresser, closet, and checking the bathroom.

I got all of our toiletries out of the shower and off of the counter, and I put them in our bags as well. When I was done, about fifteen minutes had gone by, so I told Luke he could take a break from the ice.

He took them off and put the bags on the bedside table.

No words had been said, just dead silence. I knew I needed to talk about this with him, but I didn't want him to shut down on me. I needed to know what happened between him and Calum to make them physically fight instead of the normal verbal assault, and I needed to know soon.

I sat down by Luke just as he was taking the ice of his face, and he immediately put his hand on my thigh. I put my hand on top of his, and he looked up at me.

"Why'd you fight him?" I asked bluntly. His eyebrows scrunched together, and he dropped eye contact.

"He hit me first," he answered, eyes focused on the way my hand was placed over his.

"And you kept it going?"

"Well, yeah. What was I supposed to do?" He raised his voice slightly before bringing it back down. I moved my hand to cross my arms over my chest, and he rested his head on my shoulder at the loss of contact.

I ignored his question to ask another of my own. "Why did he hit you?"

"He confessed something he probably should've kept to himself, so I came back with something I probably shouldn't have said," he explained.

"What did you say?"

"He told me that he liked you, and I told him that he didn't like you enough to ask you out and I did, so he punched me in the face," he said.

My eyes went wide at this new information. Calum liked me? Since when? If he did, he sure had a strange way of showing it, but I guess he did as best as he could without getting in Luke's way.

He respected that his best friend was in love with me, and he backed off. That was respectable in itself, but it all slipped away from him the day before I left for California. I could only imagine how confused he must've been.

"Luke," I sighed. I pretty much ruined their friendship, and I had no idea how to fix it. I only knew that this was all my fault.

"I know," he responded. He wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on my stomach.

Another silence overtook the room, and I looked over to the clock to check the time. It was a little past six, so we still had about an hour before checkout.

My hands found their way to his disheveled hair, and I started playing with it. He hummed at the feeling, which made my body heat up in the best way.

His hands slid up my shirt, and he started tracing hearts on my skin with his fingers, leaving goosebumps in their trail.

I started to replay the conversation we'd just had, and I became confused by this entire situation. Calum and I were both involved in the same act, but Luke chose to forgive me quickly and easily while Calum was left in the dust.

He tried to apologize, I know he did. I've known Calum long enough to know that if he did something wrong, he would feel extremely guilty about it until that person forgave him, then he would still feel extremely guilty for a few more weeks before eventually getting over it.

He knew he messed up, and all he wanted to do was fix it, but Luke wasn't allowing him the chance. The apology led to a fight instead of make-up, and that had to be crushing him inside.

"Babe?" I called Luke. I was genuinely curious about why he wouldn't forgive Calum, so I was going to ask about it.

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you something," I told him. He untangled himself from me and sat up again.

"Okay..."

"Why do you talk to me and not Calum?" I asked. He tensed a little and looked at me in confusion before answering.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" It didn't come out mean, I think he was just confused. Maybe since we were already off the subject of Calum, he didn't want to talk about it, but I needed to figure this out.

"You talk to me, but you ignore him. That seems unfair to me," I explained.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I talk to you, you're my girlfriend."

"And he's your best friend, has been for years. You can't blame him for what happen and just let me off of the hook," I started. This seemed to engage him, so he turned towards me and watched me as I spoke. "That's why he didn't want me to take all of the blame. He felt like it wouldn't be fair as his part in the incident was just about as big as mine, yet he's taking all of it, and you're making him feel like it's all his fault. Does that seem fair to you?" My voice had raised a little, but not to the point where I was shouting. I didn't want to come off as mean, I just needed to make sense of all of this.

"No..." His head dropped, and he focused his eyes on his lap.

"Look, we made a mistake, Calum and I both, okay?" He nodded. "I apologized once, and we were fine, but he tries daily and you just leave him in the cold."

He sighed before saying, "He's okay, right?"

I shook my head. "Honesty, I don't think so," I confessed. His eyebrows scrunched together at this, and I put my hand on his thigh.

"Why not?" How could he not know that Calum wasn't okay? Everyone could tell. He just wasn't himself anymore, and no one had the guts to ask why or try to help him.

Every time he tried to go to someone about it, they shut him down. That's what Ashton did, that's what Luke did, and that's exactly what I did.

"What do you mean, why not? His best friend seems to hate him while he's drowning in his own regret. You of all people know how powerfully Calum experiences regret. Think about it." I finished my mini-speech with a long sigh before standing up and leaving the room. "Oh, and out that ice pack on your face for fifteen more minutes."

I walked out of the room and into the living room. I sat on the couch, and the television was still on, playing the same channel it was before we left for lunch earlier. I'm glad Ashton and Calum were entertaining themselves then.  
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I watch kids' shows until about five minutes until seven, and that's when I go back into our room. I find Luke asleep, and I hate to wake him, but we have to check out.

"Luke, wake up. It's time to go." I tapped his shoulder, but he didn't move. "Luke."

"What?" he groaned, still not opening his eyes.

"Get up, we have to check out in five," I told him, but he huffed again.

"I don't want to get up. Leave me alone."

"Luke, seriously. Come on, it's time to go," I said a little more sternly. I didn't want to sound like his mum, but I knew how he could be.

"Did you not hear what I said? It wasn't a question. I told you to leave me alone," he spat. He then says up and glared at me. I was taken aback by his tone, he was being mean for no reason.

"We have school tomorrow, and the next check out isn't until eleven tomorrow morning. We have to go."

"We can skip."

"Luke," I sighed. His stubbornness was making me frustrated, and if I could I would leave him and go back by myself.

"Katherine." I threw my hands in the air, defeated, and I spun on my heels before walking away from the bed for a second.

"Luke, please," I managed to say while keeping my composure.

"I'm tired, let's just wait until in the morning to leave once I can sleep," he replied. He still had a bite in his tone, and I knew it would take a sleep or some thinking time for him to get rid of it.

"I'll drive then," I offered. He looked up to the ceiling as if he was pondering his decision.

"Fine," he huffed. He stood and grabbed his ice, then went over to get our bags. Once he was settled. I turned the lights off in the bathroom and bedroom, and we headed to the main area.

I grabbed Luke's car keys off of the table, and I also picked up the key cards before we left out. It didn't take us long to get to the lobby of the resort, and once we got there, I went to the front desk to check us out.

When I was done, we went outside and to the car. Luke put our bags in the trunk before getting in on the passenger's side. I got into the car as well, and I pulled out of the parking lot after starting the engine.

"Luke, put the ice pack on your face," I instructed while focusing on the road. It had been a while since I'd driven, but I still knew how. Occasionally when my parents were in town, they'd let me go to the store for them, but otherwise, I walked everywhere or I caught a ride. He huffed and mumbled something under his breath but still followed my instructions. "I love you."

"I know," he responded. I rolled my eyes. He was being so stubborn just because I called him out on his twisted logic. There was a silence in the car for about three minutes before he said, "I love you too."

I glanced at him quickly, and he shot me a smile. God, he was confusing, and it was making my headache.  
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Around thirty minutes later, I pulled into Luke's driveway. He'd fallen asleep about halfway through the ride, ice on his face and all. He was snoring lightly, which was adorable, but it was time for him to get out and go sleep in his own bed.

"Luke, you're home," I called, tapping his thigh gently. His eyes fluttered open before he looked around for a second like he was confused as to where he was.

"Oh, okay. Um...are you coming in?" he seemed desperate for me to say yes, but I wanted to go home.

"No, I'm going home for the night. I'll pick you up for school in the morning."

"Kate, no. Please stay," he begged. As much as I wanted to, I really missed my bed, and my dad was home apparently, so that was a plus.

"I want to go home. I'll see you in the morning," I told him, and he frowned.

"You know what happens when I sleep without you." It was my turn to frown. He was trying to guilt-trip me, and I needed to be strong enough to hold my ground. He needed to get over this. If he could forgive me, he could put this behind him.

"Luke, I'll be back in the morning," I said finally. He rolled his eyes before getting outbid the car and slamming the door. I shook my head in disbelief because of how ridiculous he was acting, but I guess this is what I got.

I opened the trunk so he could get his bag out, and once he did, I was prepared to pull off again. Before I could get my foot on the gas, Luke came rushing around to my side of the car.

He motioned for me to roll down the window, so that's what I did.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I sighed, laying my head back in the headrests and closing my eyes for a moment.

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just-I don't know what's going on in my head right now. I didn't mean to take out my frustrations on you," he explained. That made me relax a little, and I opened my eyes again.

"It's fine. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you in the morning, Luke."

"Okay, drive safe, and call me or text me when you get home. I love you," he said. I nodded, and he reached inside the car to press a quick kiss to my lips.

"I will. I love you, Luke." Just as I was about to leave for a second time, Liz, Luke's mom, walked out and waved to me. Luke took that as his cue to go inside, and he rushed his mum inside the door as well. Before he closed it, he blew me a kiss, which made me smile.

I drove away exceptionally giddy, but then I realized that there was something I needed to do.

When I got to my house seven minutes later, I parked and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I dialed Calum's number and waited for him to pick up. On the third ring, that's exactly what happened.

"Cal, I need to talk to you. It's important," I blurted. My heart rate sped up because of nervousness, but I knew this was something I had to do.

" _Okay, talk._ "


	39. Out

  
He couldn't avoid me forever because we had classes together, so it was my plan to talk to him there. I needed to get this all straightened out so everything could go back to how it was before.

I went to the bathroom so I could take a quick shower. I was careful not to get my hair wet because I didn't feel like taking the time to let it dry. Once I was done, I brushed my teeth.

After drying myself off, I went into my room to get ready for the day. I brushed my hair into a ponytail, not caring whether my hickeys could be seen or not anymore.

I found a pair of black jeans hanging up in my closet, so I put those on along with one of Luke's sweatshirts. I took out a pair of black converse, put those on, and I grabbed my phone off the charger and Luke's car keys off the nightstand before turning off the light and leaving my room.

I went downstairs and into the kitchen to find something quick to eat, and there I found my dad.

"Morning, dad," I said. I disappeared into the pantry to get the granola.

When I came out, he greeted me. "Good morning, sweetie. Your mum will be back this afternoon, probably before you get back home from school," he told me.

I smiled and ran over to give him a hug.

"When's the next time you have to leave?" I asked. I wanted to know because then I could mentally prepare myself.

"The company said I have two weeks off, and I made it clear to them that they can't schedule random, out of town meetings during that time because I won't be there. I want to use this time and spend it with my favorite two girls," he said. I squeezed him tighter for a moment before letting go and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you so much, dad. You have no idea how much that means to me," I told him honestly. He smiled, and I went to the refrigerator to get out some yogurt.

Once I found it, I opened it up and put some granola in it. I got a spoon out of the cutlery drawer and a napkin from off the counter.

I picked up my food and headed out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

"Where're you going? Isn't Calum supposed to be picking you up?" my dad asked as I was grabbing my backpack.

"Oh, um...I have Luke's car. We came back from town last night, and he was tired so I drove him home. I'm going to pick him up," I answered.

His eyebrows scrunched together, out of confusion I assumed before he said, "It's still really early though."

"Yeah, but I have to go make sure Luke wakes up on time," I explained.

I tried to leave again, but he stopped me once more.

"Why do you care so much?"

I forgot that I hadn't told my dad that Luke and I were in a relationship. He wasn't around when it happened, and when he came back, Luke was still taking his break. That topic of conversation had never come up, so he didn't know.

"Because, dad, Luke is my boyfriend."

It looked like he nearly stopped breathing. "What? When? For how long?"

"For almost a month." His eyes widened at this information, and he dramatically placed his hand over his heart.

"And why am I just now finding out about this?"

"I don't know, I guess it just never came up," I chuckled. His eyes scanned over my body, starting with my face and making his way down from there. Except, he didn't go any further than my neck.

"Are those what I think they are?" he asked. I nodded slowly, already knowing what he was talking about.

"Uh, I gotta go now," I said quickly, turning on my heels and bolting for the door. "Bye, dad. Love you!" I shouted, exiting my house and walking to Luke's car.

I got in and put the key in the ignition, turning it over to start the car. I was about to drive off when my dad stepped outside.

"Have a good day at school. Don't have sex, or you'll die!" he called. I laughed while putting up my thumb, then waving. I drove off and headed to Luke's house.  
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I arrived ten minutes later, and I turned the car off, getting out and going to the front door after. I rang the doorbell, and Liz answered.

"Kate, good morning. How've you been?" she asked, pulling me into a hug.

"Well, thanks. How about you?" She released me from the hug and led me inside.

"I've been excellent," she responded. We walked into the kitchen, and we both took a seat at the island.

"That's great." She smiled and nodded before standing up and going over to her refrigerator.

"Yep...Can I get you anything for breakfast?" I shook my head, politely declining the offer since I'd just eaten.

"Oh, no thank you. I had something before I came."

"Very well then," she said. She came to sit back down after putting some water in her kettle. "It's early. You must've come to get Luke."

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure he didn't oversleep, and I have his car," I explained.

"Oh, he's been awake for about a half an hour. He got up to take a shower and get dressed, so I think he should be about ready," she said and got up to get the whistling kettle.

She put the tea in her cup and poured the boiling water over it, and she returned back to the table.

We carried on a conversation for a couple of minutes before she got up again to check on her tea. I saw her get some milk out of the refrigerator and some sugar from a jar, and I watched as she prepped her tea how she liked it.

Liz was really nice to me, and she always has been. Ever since I was little, whenever Luke would be doing something fun, she would always ask my parents if I was allowed to come along. She even influenced them to get a house in this town.

She took a few sips before excusing herself so she could go get ready for work.

"Excuse me, Kate, but I better be going to get ready for work now. It was nice chatting with you," she announced.

"You too! I'm going to go make sure Luke is close to being ready to go," I said. I hopped off the stool and headed upstairs to Luke's bedroom. She disappeared down the hall as I walked up the stairs.

When I got to Luke's room, I put my hand on the doorknob. I was about to twist it when I heard a small moan come from the other side of the door.

"Ah, fuck." I instinctively jerked my hand away from the knob before I curiously placed my ear against the door, to listen to what was going on. I could hear rapid, short breathing and a few, almost inaudible, grunts and whimpers every now and then. This went on for almost a minute, and then Luke let out a loud groan. If you were listening for it, you probably could have heard it on the other side of the house. "Shit, oh fuck," he dragged out.

I was completely aware of what was happening on the other side of that door. I didn't want to interrupt him, so I waited outside until it sounded like he was done. When the moans died out, and it was silent for a solid thirty seconds, I rose my fist and lightly knocked on the door.

"Luke, can I come in?" I called. There was more silence like everything suddenly stopped before he answered.

"Y-Yeah. Give me a second." Just like he promised, a few seconds later, he opened the door.

His eyes were bright and glowing, and his entire face was flushed. His hair was sticking up in many different directions, and he sent me a smile before opening the door a bit wider and inviting me inside.

I walked over to his bed and took a seat at the foot. He was only dressed in a pair of boxers, most likely because that was the only thing he put on after his shower. I saw a towel on the floor in the corner of the room that confirmed my assumption.

Luke left the room, and I saw him go into the bathroom, to wash his hands I guessed.

He returned about a minute later, shut the door back, and walked to his closet to get the outfit that was hanging up and ready to put on. It was a plain black shirt, with LA and a few smaller letters under that in the top left corner, and a pair of black skinny jeans. He came over to where I was sat and laid his clothes down next to me.

He leaned in and planted his lips on mine. He placed his hands on either side of my body. Sparks started in the pit of my stomach as I put my hands on his cheeks. He leaned forward, so I was slowly pushed back and his weight was supported by his forearms.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, which made him hum against my lips. I slightly opened my mouth, and he quickly slipped his tongue past my parted lips.

After a few minutes of slow and gentle making out, Luke pulled away and smirked at me. "Good morning, baby," he said with his forehead rested against mine.

I was smiling ear to ear when I said, "Morning." He leaned back in to peck me on the lips, and I unwrapped my legs from around him so he could get up.

I hadn't seen Luke like this in a while, and I was happy to see him so cheerful. It looked like he was back to how he was a few weeks ago before all this chaos took place.

He grabbed his shirt, which was lying next to me, and put it on quickly before sitting next to me so he could pull his tight jeans up his legs.

"How'd you sleep last night?" I asked. I was genuinely curious because he looked so distressed when I told him I wasn't spending the night. I just wanted to know that he was okay without me.

"Considering you weren't with me, I think it's the best I've slept in three weeks," he stated. It felt like a relief to hear him say that. "I know it's bad, but I think the fight cleared my head a little." He laughed while pulling his pants up the rest of the way, and he stood up to button and zip them.

When he sat back down, I took his chin in my hand and turned him to face me so I could look at the damage Calum did to his face. The bruising actually wasn't bad. He must've been icing for the remainder of the night as I told him to. There were only faint marks littering his jaw and cheeks, and his lip was completely healed.

"That's good, and your face is looking better. I thought those bruises would be dark for at least a few days, but they're already faded," I told him. He made a silly face, which caused me to laugh, and I said, "I love you," before pressing my lips to his.

He reached around me to grab ahold of my waist, and he pulled me on top of him. Luke wasted no time deepening the kiss, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He lowered himself back until he was lying flat on his bed. My hands played with the hair on the nape of his neck. Unlike the first kiss, this one was a bit more heated, but just like the first one, the burning sensation was taking over the entirety of my stomach. This feeling was amazing.

Luke's hands trailed down my sides until they got to my lower back, and he pressed me as close to him as possible. He moved his hands back to my hips, and he moved them so that my core rubbed against his growing bulge. He groaned into my mouth, and a couple of seconds later, I pulled away to attach my lips to his neck.

I left a few open-mouthed kisses here and there, and I also nipped at some of the skin on his jaw, being careful to avoid a bruise that was there. When I was done with his jaw, I moved to a spot just above his collar bone, and I used my teeth to tease the skin. He let out a loud moan, and I smirked against his skin.

"Kate, babe, oh my god." I found a spot just under his ear, and I knew it drove him crazy. It made him whimper and call out my name multiple times, but it was all under his breath since we weren't the only ones in the house.

He was still using his hand to guide my hips to rub myself against him, and at this point, I was doing most of it by myself. I knew he had to be going mental, and I would have let him relieve himself, but I didn't know if we had enough time.

I was about to bring my lips back to his when my phone went off in my back pocket. I recognized it to be my alarm that told me it was time to leave the house unless we wanted to be late for school.

I sat up and took my phone out of my back pocket to turn it off, and Luke gave me a lazy smile. I leaned back in and connected our lips once more. "What was that?" he asked against my lips.

"An alarm. If we don't leave now, we won't have time to go to our lockers before class," I answered, pulling away for a second just to go back in to kiss him again.

He gave my sides a squeeze and said, "Well, if you don't want to go to school halfway through the day, I think we should stop now." He kissed me one more time, and I sat up, sitting on his torso.

"Okay, let's go." I got off of him, and he sat up. I stood up, and when he stood, I could see his bulge sticking out of his pants. "Luke, what're you going to do about that?" I asked pointing to it.

He looked down at it, and his eyes widened. I guess he didn't realize how big it was. He shrugged before saying, "I don't know. I guess I just won't go to my locker, and I'll stay in the car and take care of it." He chuckled and grabbed his phone off the bedside table.

Luke took a look in the mirror before we left the room, and he tried putting his hair where he wanted it. It didn't seem to be doing what he wanted, so he grabbed a grey beanie out of a drawer and slipped that over his hair to cover it up.

I walked out of his room first, and he followed. Once we got downstairs, he picked up his car keys from the table, where I left them, and he called to Liz that he was leaving.

We exited the house and headed car, getting in when we got there.  
.  
.  
.  
I made it through half the day just fine, and when we got to lunch, Michael was the only one at our table.

"Michael!" I exclaimed as soon as I saw him. He looked up and his eyes lit up once he realized who had called his name. He stood up, and I literally leaped into his arms. He rubbed my back up and down and giggled as I squeezed him tighter.

I knew it had only been like four days since I'd last seen him, but we had literally hung out every day for three weeks, so I'd grown attached. I missed him for the time that I was gone, and it felt good to see him again.

"Kate, oh my gosh. Where've you been? I missed you like crazy," he said. When I pulled away, he was full-on smiling, and Luke was standing behind me. He was next to give Michael a hug.

"Sorry for the lack of communication, but Luke took me into the city for the weekend," I explained.

He smirked and said, "Well, I can tell you two had fun." His eyes went straight for both of our necks, and I blushed.

"Oh, we didn't do anything," I tried defending myself. He gave me this look that said ' _yeah, sure_ , and my mouth formed an _o_ shape. "I swear! We just hung out."

"Okay, I believe you," he replied, raising his hands in surrender. I could see Michael had already had his lunch, and Luke went off campus to get us something, so we sat down to eat.

During lunch, Michael and I talked about anything and everything. It was a great conversation, and then he brought up Calum. I tensed and I could see Luke tense up beside me.

"Do you know where Cal and Ash are? I saw them in my first class today, but they aren't here," he explained. I shrugged.

"I don't know. But I do know that he's avoiding us," I answered, gesturing between Luke and me.

"Why?"

"Because Luke and Cal got into a fight yesterday," I told him. His eyes went wide as he finally zeroed in on the fading bruises scattering Luke's face.

"Over you?" he questioned. I nodded and he shook his head. "I really hoped you guys could work out your problems," he said facing Luke.

"Me too," I chimed in. Luke huffed beside me, and when I looked at him, he was rolling his eyes. "Luke, he wants to apologize to you. He wants to make things right," I tried telling him.

"I don't want to talk to him." He glared at me, and then looked at Michael, which caused him to look down and focus on his food.

"Stop being like this," I whined.

"Like what?" he countered. Before I could tell him how stubborn and childish he was acting, the bell rang to dismiss us from lunch and have our heads to our next class.

"Bye, Mike," both of us said at the same time. He waved and left the cafeteria, just the same as everyone else.

My next class was with Calum, so I went to my locker to get my materials for it first. Once I was done, I shut my locker door, and behind it was Luke. He was getting books out of his locker as well.

"Luke," I called. He looked towards me and slightly puckered his lips so I would get the message that he wanted me to kiss him. "I'm going to my next class, so I'll see you when school is over?" I asked, kissing him quickly.

"Yeah, I'll probably already be at the car, so just come out when you're ready. We can go to my house and hang out, do homework or something for a bit, then I'll take you home," he replied. I nodded and began to walk off, but he stopped me. "Kate?"

I turned around and met eye with him. "Yeah?"

"I love you, baby," he said. My heart melted, and I smiled when he added a wink.

"I love you too. I'll see you later, Luke." I walked away with the largest smile on my face, but it dropped as soon as I remembered who would be in my next class.

I walked down the hall in haste to make sure I was on time for class, and when I got there, I took my regular seat. Calum was my partner, and when I sat down, he didn't even acknowledge me.

The teacher wasn't in the room yet, so I took this opportunity before the bell rang to try and talk to Calum.

"Cal," I called. His attention was still focused forward, and he pretended like I wasn't here. Our teacher walked in exactly a second before the bell sounded, and she set her things up before she started talking. I decided to try again. I wasn't going to give up until I got him to talk to me "Calum." He still acted like he didn't hear me, even though I was sat right next to him. The teacher looked my way and placed a finger over her closed lips to tell me to be quiet, and I nodded to signal that I understood. She then started going on about an upcoming project, and I looked at Calum again. Everything I need to say was running wild inside my head and was making it spin. I really needed to talk to him. "Calum Thomas Hood," I said softly, but in a stern tone.

This got his attention. He turned his head and looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm trying to listen to what Mrs. Ruggs is saying. What do you want?" he spat. I flinched, and when I looked up, the entire class, plus the teacher was staring at the two of us.

"Hood. Bennett. Out, now. Front office!" she yelled. Calum rolled his eyes, and my cheeks went bright red. I gathered my things, the same as he, and left the room swiftly.

He walked out behind me, and all I could hear was the slam of the door. I knew he was mad at me for getting him kicked out.

I'd never been sent out of class before. I was always a really good student, and I was a kiss-up most of the time, but this was too important to me than a class right now. If I didn't get this sorted out, I wouldn't be able to focus on class anyway.

Calum was walking much faster than me, so by this point, he has surpassed me in the hallway and was further along than I was.

"Calum," I sighed, trying to catch up to him.

"Don't talk to me." The office was on the other side of the school, so we had our ways to go.

"Calum, please," I begged. He was walking even faster now, most likely trying to distance himself from me, and I was still trying to catch up.

All of a sudden, he turned around, and I pretty much collided with his body.

"What do you want, Katherine. I fought your dumbass boyfriend. I listened to you go on about nothing for three minutes last night, and you get us kicked out of class! What else could you possibly want from me?" he screamed. I shied away because of his tone, but he didn't break his angry façade.

"I just wanted to apologize," I said in a small voice.

"Well, I don't want your apology."

"I think you need to hear it," I argued.

"Go then." He turned around and walked away. I followed him and on the rest of the way to the front office. I spilled my heart out to Calum.

I told him how sorry I was for making it seem like it was all his fault when it clearly wasn't because who knows what would've happened if he hadn't stopped us. I apologized for not having his back when all of his other friends turned on him. I apologized for not sticking up for him when Luke and Ashton were bashing him, and I apologized for getting us into this mess in the first place. I literally begged for him to forgive me.

I started crying when I told him that I knew why he and Luke fought, and we had to stop in the middle of the hallway so he could hug me. When his arms wrapped around me, I realized what I had been missing. I went without one of my best friends for close to a month or more, and I forgot how good it felt to have someone there for you who understood what you were going through and where you were coming from.

"Cal, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," I sobbed. Just like Michael, he rubbed my back up and down, trying to console me.

"Shh, it's okay. I forgive you," he said softly.

"But I led you on, and I didn't mean to." I was still crying, and he was trying to get me to calm down.

"Kate, please. You didn't lead me on. No offense, but I don't actually like you," he confessed. What? I felt so bad because of something I assumed, and it wasn't even true.

I looked up at him from my place in his arms, confusion plastered all across my face.

"What?"

"I never told Luke I liked you," he explained. "I asked him what if I liked you. Those are two different things, but he gave a pretty valid answer, so I'd have to give him that." He wiped the tears from under my eyes and kissed me on the forehead. Then, he pulled away completely. As soon as he was untangled from me, I punched him in the arm. He immediately grabbed it and grimaced as it hurt, but he was laughing.

"What is wrong with you!" I yelled. I wasn't mad, more confused, but this was also kind of hysterical.

"I'm sorry your boyfriend incorrectly translated what I said," he defended himself, still laughing.

"It's not funny. I thought I'd messed up so bad, and you were confirming it."

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," he said. He pulled me into another hug, and I could feel my entire body relax. I pulled away first, but he kept one of his arms around my shoulders, and we walked the rest of the way to the front office laughing and catching up on what we missed in the last month.


	40. Over

Kate's POV

When Calum and I got to the front office, the secretary directed us to the principal's office. I had never been to the principal's office before because I never got in trouble, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I knew that if I was going through this by myself, I'd probably be bawling my eyes out, but since I had my best friend with me, who was going through the same thing, I was okay. I still really just wanted my boyfriend, but Calum would suffice.

Once we were stood in front of the door the secretary told us to go to, Calum raised one of his hands and knocked lightly.

"Come in," we heard from the other side. We walked in to find our principal, Dr. Colston, staring down at his computer, typing away. "Have a seat, please," he instructed.

There were two chairs, placed side by side, in front of his large, cherrywood desk. Calum and I complied by sitting down, setting our bags down by our feet. I looked over to Calum, who didn't seem nervous in the slightest, and he just had a blank expression covering his face, probably preparing himself for the worst.

Dr. Colston was typing something and using his mouse to click around for a few more minutes before he acknowledged us again.

"So, Mr. Hood and Ms. Bennett, I received an email from Mrs. Ruggs upon your arrival," he began. "I was informed that you both disrupted the class. You," he said pointing to me, "by talking after your were told not to, and you," he turned to Calum, "had an unnecessary outburst. Is that correct?"

We both nodded and he focused his attention back on his laptop. I was scared to speak, but I desperately wanted to know to what extent the consequences would be.

"Uh...um," I stuttered. I gained his attention as he looked me directly in the eyes. "What's going to happen to us? Like, are we going to be suspended?" I asked. I didn't want that to be the case. I was scared of getting in trouble for anything school-related. I wasn't sure what my parents would do.

"Well, your records will be the determiner of that. Let me just check and see. If you have a clean record, I'll let you off with a warning, but if you've already gotten one within the past three months, I'll have to write you up," he explained. I sighed in relief because this was my first 'offense' ever. He did a little more scrolling through his laptop before I heard a clicked, and he cleared his throat. "Katherine, your records look pretty clean, squeaky even. Is this your first time being sent out?" I nodded and squeaked out a small yes. Another silence overtook the room as he went searching for Calum's files. "As for you Calum," he started. Dr. Colston's eyebrows scrunched together as he went down Calum's file, and I knew to just prepare for the worst. I was the one who got him in trouble, and if he had to get a write-up, I would feel absolutely terrible. "I'm afraid that...you've already gotten a warning." I put my hand on top of Calum's, and he looked over to me and shrugged. "But that was four months ago, so you're all good to go. I'm going to put this warning down in your file, and after three months, it will erase. You guys are dismissed. Wait in the lobby until the bell for next period rings," he informed us. Calum and I stood up, grabbed our bags, and we headed for the door.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Colston," I said gratefully. I was so glad that none of this was going to go on my permanent record, and my parents didn't even have to know.

"It's not a problem. Behave you two," he replied as we walked out of the room and went to the lobby to find a place to sit. We decided on a bench that was just near the door, and we both took a seat. 

"So am I. I'd never want to lose you, Kate," he said. I leaned in, and he stiffened beside me. I placed a quick peck on his cheek, and he relaxed once he realized this wouldn't be a repeat of last time.

"Me either," I agreed. "Now, all that's left is you and Luke," I said, still looking at him. His jaw clenched.

"No, I'm done trying to apologize to him. He doesn't accept it, so I'm done. I beat his ass, and we're just gonna leave it at that because it doesn't matter anymore," he seethed. I frowned, knowing it would be hard to break either boy's stubbornness. I just wanted us all to be friends again, and it was incredibly hard when Luke wouldn't accept the apologies to the point where Calum stopped trying.

"Cal, you can't give up on him. He's been your best friend for years. You guys have to work this out. Don't give up on him, on your friendship," I tried convincing him. He didn't seem to be listening, and if he was, he wasn't going to take my advice.

"Kate, it's so hard to get through to him. You don't understand because he let you in easily," he said. My eyebrows knitted together because that definitely was far from the truth.

"No, he didn't," I disagreed. "He didn't speak to me for three weeks, Cal."

"Yeah, but after those three weeks, he forgave you just like that. I've tried at least twenty plus times, and all I get is rejected or yelled at."

"True, but he'll come around. I promise." I was going to try my best to get Luke to agree to accept Calum's apology and apologize. I didn't know how I was going to pull it off, but I was going to try.

"How do you know that?" he countered. I shrugged.

"Because I'm going to help. I'll do everything I can and more. Don't worry." Just as he was about to speak, the bell rang. We grabbed our things and headed towards the door.

"Okay, I'm counting on you, Kate," he said, starting to walk in the opposite direction from me.

"Alright. I won't disappoint!" I yelled back giggling.

He laughed and winked before saying, "I hope not! Bye!" I waved, and we parted our ways, heading to our last class of the day. Fortunately, mine was with Ashton, who I hadn't seen all day.

When I got there, he was already sitting at our usual table, smiling wide with his eyes focused on nothing in particular.

"Hey, Ash!" I said cheerfully, walking over to our table and taking a seat next to him. He pulled me in for a weird side hug while we were still sitting down, and I returned the hello.

"Kate, so how's your day been?" I thought about my answer to that for a second before answering. The morning started off pretty wonderful, and the rest of the day was running smoothly until I got kicked out of the class along with Calum. That caused up to make up, so it was a plus, not a negative. Then, the principal let us off the hook, so we didn't actually get in trouble. I guess my day hadn't been too bad.

"Uh, pretty good, I guess. What about you?" I returned. His face scrunched up before he answered.

"Same. Yeah, nothing exciting really happened today. It was just normal." I nodded along, agreeing with him.

"Yeah...So, where were you and Calum at lunch today?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Calum didn't want to go by himself, and I had to stay in class to finish up an assignment, so he came to my class. When I was done, we went and got lunch off campus and ate in my car," he explained, giggling afterward.

"Oh, are you guys going to be at lunch tomorrow?" I asked, my hopes up high.

"Probably not," he answered. "Cal doesn't want to have any more interactions with Luke unless he has to, which is at band practice."

"Aw, well, we made up last period, so we're all good. I just wish Luke would stop being so stubborn about this and hear Calum out," I told him honestly.

I had to agree that my boyfriend was a tough cookie. Once he had his mind set on something, he was hard to crack.

"Me too. He's the last one to forgive Calum and apologize, and then the squad will be back in motion," he said, and I nodded.

"I'm trying to help Calum. He said he was done trying to apologize to Luke, but I told him that he needed to keep trying and I'd convince Luke to listen somehow." The plan wasn't very solid, but I had a feeling that Luke would give in after I begged for a while. I didn't want this to take long, but I wanted him to take his time.

"Okay, but how are you going to get Luke to agree?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"That's the part I have to figure out," I confessed. This topic was already making my brain hurt so I decided to change the subject. "So...Can I go for lunch with you guys tomorrow?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. Sure, but what about Luke?" I hadn't thought about that.

"Um, I'll just tell him that I have to stay in class to do talk to our teacher or something. I don't really know, but I'll figure it out," I said.

"Do you think that's a good idea, to lie?" he questioned. I shook my head.

"I mean, no, but he'd never let me go with you guys if he found out I would be around Calum," I explained. "He's still kind of messed up mentally about that whole situation."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah, so, where do I meet you guys tomorrow?" I asked. The bell rang, and our teacher walked in, setting up her laptop and the projector so we could begin class.

"When the bell rings, go to hall D, room one-oh-six. That's Calum's class. As I said, I meet him in there, and then we go to my car, or his, to go get food," he directed.

I nodded before saying, "Okay, I'll be there." Just then, our teacher cleared her throat and started talking, thus beginning our class.

.

.  
.  
As soon as our class ended, Ashton and I said our goodbyes, and we parted ways. I headed outside to where Luke's car was parked, and just like he promised, he was inside waiting for me.

I opened the car door, and his head snapped up. Once he saw who it was, he smiled.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted, giggling. I saw him put his phone away, getting ready to drive off.

"Hi, Lukey. How were your last two classes?" I asked. His hand that wasn't on the steering wheel was rested on his knee, so I took it off and intertwined it with mine. His eyes flickered to me quickly before returning to the road.

"They were okay. My last one was kind of boring, but he let us out early, so that made it better," he smiled. "What about you?"

"Um, mine was okay. Pretty normal," I answered. I didn't want to tell him about getting kicked out. He'd never let me live it down.

"Cool. So, what do you want to do when we get to my house? Have any homework?" I shook my head the realized he wasn't looking at me.

"No, so I guess we can just hangout. My mom is back in town and we're going out for dinner tonight, so I have to be home by six to get ready," I told him.

"Okay, we can watch a movie or something," he offered.

"Yeah, that's fine."

The car was silent until we got to his house. He pulled into his driveway, and we both got out and headed towards the front door.

He used his key to unlock the door, and once we were inside, we went straight to his room. When we got there, he closed his door and kicked his shoes off. I did the same.

He went to his television stand and got a game controller off the top of it. He turned on the console and made his way back over to his bed.

Luke laid down but elevated his head with all of the pillows he had on his bed, and he patted the spot next to him so I could join. I crawled into the bed and next to him. He immediately engulfed me into his arms, wrapping them around me so I was practically laying on top of him with my legs on either side of his left one. I rested my head on his chest, and he put his controller-bearing hands on top of his stomach and started the game.

After a few rounds of Luke playing Call Of Duty, I thought it was time to try and ease in the subject of him accepting Calum's apology and possibly apologize himself.

"Luke?" I called up to him, my head still resting comfortably on his chest. He glanced down for a second, then looked back up to the television.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can we talk for a second?" I asked biting my lip slightly. His fingers moved on the controller, and I looked up to see the game was paused. He was trying to sit up, so I got off of him so he was able to.

"Uh-oh," he dryly chuckled. "What about? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to, um, ask you if you think you and Cal were ever gonna be friends again," I said, and his face contorted.

"I don't know, nor do I really care," he responded in a short tone.

"Luke, you should care. He's your best friend. You guys have known each other for years," I spoke, but it seemed like he was just shrugging every word I said off.

I wanted to show him that even though times may get tough, you can always try to work through them. If you love someone enough, you can get through anything.

"So...?"

"You can't just give up on him. He's been trying to apologize to you for weeks."

"Yeah, I can if I want to," he argued. "And like I said before, I don't care." He turned his game back on, which was his way of telling me he was done with this conversation, but I still had somethings to say.

"Luke," I sighed.

"Katherine," he retorted.

"How many times are we going to fight about this?" I asked, my tone close to being defeated.

"Until you come to terms that I don't care," he said blankly, not even caring if it hurt my feelings or not. I threw my hands in the air and huffed loudly, giving up on the conversation.

"Luke, why is it so hard for you to just forgive him? He made a mistake, and he understands that! Why are you holding on to this?" I shouted, which made him paused the game again and turn to face me.

"Fucking hell, Kate. Because I see it in my head every time I close my damn eyes. I've tried everything, and nothing works. He doesn't get it because he doesn't have to live with that image. For fuck's sake, I can barely sleep at night because of this shit!" He yelled back. I sort of felt bad, not only for him but for myself as well.

"But you forgave me, Luke. That's such a double standard. I was involved just as much as Calum was, and you give me the easy way out. You can't do that," I explained, calming down a little.

"Well, I can do whatever I want. And I'll forgive him when I feel like, but right now, I'm done talking about this," he said, with a bite still in his tone.

"Wow, okay, Hemmings. Take me home," I demanded.

"What?"

"I said: take me home," I repeated. I didn't want to hang it anymore. I was infuriated already, and I just wasn't in the mood. All I wanted to do was go home and cry or something. I needed a way to let off some steam because this situation was stressing me out.

"Why? We still have, like, two hours to kill," he questioned. He was now back to his normal self, and of course, he didn't want me to leave his side.

"Luke, I want to go home. Now," I pleaded. With a sigh, he turned the game off and stood from the bed. I got up as well, and we both put on our shoes and went downstairs without a word.

Luke grabbed his keys from off the counter, and we headed outside. He unlocked his car, and we both got in. He started the ignition and pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

About two minutes into the drive, my mind started racing, and a tear slipped out of my eye. I sniffled, trying to be quiet, but Luke heard because his eyes flickered to me for a moment before going back on the road.

"Kate, don't cry," he said softly. I rolled my eyes.

"Leave me alone," I requested. I didn't want to talk to him. He was making me dizzy, but not in a good way.

"Baby-" I tried, but I cut him off.

"Shut up, and leave me alone," I spat. He sighed deeply reaching his hand over to place it on my thigh. I swatted it away.

Every time he touched me, it felt like a fire was being lit throughout my entire being, and I didn't want to feel that at the moment. I wanted to stay mad.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and when we got to my house, I got out of the car without saying a word. 

Luke said, "I love you," right before I got out, but I just shut the door to his car and went to my front door, using my key to let myself in.

My mom greeted me as soon as I walked through the door, and I put a smile on my face for her sake. Also, because I didn't want to have to explain anything.

We chatted and caught up for about an hour befit we both decided to start getting ready for dinner. My dad got home right as I was about to start doing my hair, and that meant I had thirty minutes left.

Once I was done, it was around seven o'clock. My mum and dad were ready as well, so piled into my dad's car and headed to the restaurant my dad chose to take us to.

Meanwhile, I took out my cellphone to text two people, Ashton and Luke. I sent a message to Ashton first.

**Kate**   
_Hey, Ash. Can you pick me up in the morning for school?_

He replied about a minute later.

**Ash x**   
_sure, usual time?_

**Kate**   
_Yeah, thank you! :)_

**Ash x**   
_no problem xx_

Then I texted Luke.

**Luke <3**

_Don't come to pick me up in the morning. I'm riding with Ashton._

"Kate," he sighed. I turned to face him, grabbing the last folder I needed out of my locker and shutting it softly.

"Yes, Luke?"

"Are you still upset?" he asked. I was, in fact. I didn't understand why he just couldn't accept the apology so we could move forward. I was doing everything I could to help, but he wasn't even taking that into consideration.

"Depends," I admitted.

"On?" he asked. I didn't want to bring it up again, because I knew it was going to lead to an argument, but he asked.

"Have you considered what I said yesterday?"

"Kate, I already told you that I'm not forgiving him," he sighed. I rolled my eyes and straightened up a little.

"Well, there's your answer," I said, walking past him. He called out for me a few times, but he didn't make an effort to follow me.

My first class went by in a breeze, and I trudged along to my second. I had it with Luke and Michael. I wasn't looking forward to seeing Luke, but since Michael would be there, I would have someone to talk to.

I arrived with minutes to spare, and I sat down by Michael in the back of the classroom.

"Hi, Kate!" he exclaimed smiling. I waved, giggling lightly, and I took my work out to prepare for the teacher to check it.

Luke walked in just before the bell rang, and he took out his work as well. Michael was frantically copying the back of mine because he said he didn't know there was aback. Luckily, Mrs. Oliver came to our table last, so we all got a good grade.

She went over the homework before moving on to notes, and then she gave us an in-class assignment to complete quietly.

Her class went by in a breeze, and before I knew it the bell for lunch rang. All of the students filed out of the class in a bunch, so it was easy for me to get lost in the crowd. I made my way to the room Ashton told me to meet him in, and it was just a hall over from the one I was on.

When I got there, I saw Ashton standing outside with his hands shoved deep in his pocket.

"So, I see you decided to show up?" he questioned giggling.

"Yup. Where's Cal?"

"Oh, he should be out any second now," Ashton replied. Seconds later, out came Calum. "Alright, the crew's together. Where shall we go today?"

"Um, let's go to my house and make sandwiches," Calum said. I nodded, agreeing. We had forty-five minutes for lunch, and Calum's house was about seven from the school if he didn't drive slow.

"Okay, I'm down. Ash?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's head out," he said. We all followed behind him, and when we got to his car, he unlocked it. I took the passenger's seat, and Calum sat in the back. Ashton peeled out of the school parking lot and drove towards Hood's home.  
.  
.  
.  
 **Friday**

For the rest of the week, Calum, Ashton, and I did the same thing. We would each choose a place to get food from, whether it was going to someone's house or to a fast food place. We would eat it in the car and get back into the building before lunch ended.

It was fun hanging out with them, and I realized that I'd missed having that amount of fun, but I didn't realize any of it because I was caught up in my own worries. With Ashton and Calum, it was light-spirited. They were hilarious, and we just talked about random stuff. Nothing ever got serious, and I liked that. Our entire group of friends was like that at one point, but it was broken up. I was trying desperately to fix it all.

Luke had asked where I was during lunch yesterday, and I just told him that I stayed in Mrs. Oliver's class because she was helping me stay current with my work from all of my classes. He believed it and didn't question it anymore. I hated lying to him, but I didn't know what I would do if he found out I chose Calum over him. He already has trouble coping with this entire situation.

We were in Mrs. Oliver's class, and I was counting down the seconds until the bell rang for lunch. I was looking forward to lunch today because we planned to go through the drive-thru at Taco Bell, something Ashton apparently had been craving all week.

Once the bell did ring, I bolted for the door, letting myself get lost in the crowd, so Luke didn't notice me leave. I made my way to Calum's classroom, where I met Ashton and Calum waiting for me outside.

"Ready to go?" Ashton asked. I nodded, and we headed for the front of the school. When we got outside, we loaded Calum's car and Ashton drove. He took us to the nearest Taco Bell, and we ordered an enormous amount of food. I wasn't sure how I was going to eat my portion.

Luckily, Calum and Ashton finished what I couldn't. Once we were done, we returned inside of the school, and we were right on time because the bell rang as I was approaching my locker.

I was mindlessly getting somethings out when Luke charged towards me. I looked up, and he seemed to be quite pissed off. I shut my locker and turned to face him, but before I got the chance to ask him what was wrong, he spoke first.

"Kate," he breathed out.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you at lunch today?" he asked. My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Of course, I knew where I was, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Luke the truth or not.

"Um, I told you. I stay with Mrs. Oli-" he cut me off before I had the chance to speak. He seemed even angrier than before.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Katherine!" he yelled. It was loud enough for me to cower in fear, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"I-I'm not, I-" again I was cut off.

"Yes, you are. I went back to Mrs. Oliver's class because I forgot my cellphone, and you weren't in there. I asked her about the little 'tutoring' sessions you claimed to have been having with her, and she insisted that she didn't know what I was talking about. What the fuck? Where've you been this entire week?" My throat felt like it was closing up. I knew I'd been caught. I couldn't do anything but tell him the truth, and I had a feeling his reaction wouldn't be positive.

"Luke, I'm really sorry," I said. His face became puzzled.

"Why? What did you do?" he questioned me frantically, his eyes searching my face for any answers.

"I've been hanging out with Cal and Ash. I go to lunch with them every day," I confessed in a small voice. A few beats of silence went by where he didn't say anything, so I called out to him. "Luke?"

"Kate, I-Why?"

"Because Luke! You aren't trying to mend your friendship with Calum, and I want to be friends with him. I can't just not talk to him because you don't like him, that's not fair. They're good company, and not once this week have we gotten into an argument. Luke, every day since Sunday, we've fought, and before that, we weren't on speaking terms for almost a month. I don't know what else you want me to do," I explained. A single tear slipped from my eye, and I sighed in frustration. I was so tired of crying, and I was tired of Luke being the reason that I cried. Nothing was ever this hard before we got into a relationship. I wanted things to go back to the way they were before. I wiped my eyes before saying, "Luke, I don't think this is working."

His eyes widened, and he moved a little closer to me. "What are you talking about?" he asked in a rather calm tone.

"I'm talking about us. I can't do it anymore."

That's when's he grabbed my hands and started pulling me towards him. "No, no, no, Kate," he repeated. "Let me make it up to you, please." I stood there, expression blank except the tears running down my face. I pulled my hands away from his and wiped them away quickly. "Baby, please. You promised," he pleaded to point to my ring.

"Fine, but I hope this works." He smiled shyly and tried to lean in for a kiss, but I blocked it. "Nothing until after tonight," I told him.

"Right, okay. Um, well I guess I'll see you later. Pick you up at seven?" I nodded and started backing away.

"Bye, Luke."

"Bye, I love you," he said, which wasn't making this any easier. If we couldn't rekindle this tonight, I didn't know what I was going to do or what was going to happen. I didn't want to break up, but he hasn't been the same since after I got back from California. I was looking for the Luke I've always known, but I couldn't find him anywhere.

On my way to class, the only thing I could think about was what was going to happen on this date and whether it was going to go well or end our relationship for good.


	41. Popcorn

Luke's POV

After some pleading, I finally got Kate to agree to let me take her home after school. I had to make sure this was the most incredible night of her life if I was going to try and save our relationship.

Like I said when I first told her I loved her, I loved her so much it hurt. It actually caused me physical and emotional pain, but anything was worth it as long as I could spend all of my time with her. I didn't know what I would do if we broke up. It was still so early in the game, and it would be all my fault.

I thought the promise ring would be the glue to hold everything together for a while, but I couldn't let that alone do all the work. I had to put in some effort as well, and right now, I was letting Kate do everything, and I could tell it was starting to get to her. That's most likely the only reason she even considered ending our relationship. I was stressing her out.

As I was waiting for her to come out of the school, it gave me some time to think. I realized how irrational I'd been acting this entire time. I forgave Kate for the same thing I didn't forgive Calum for, and I was finally admitting to myself how messed up that was.

I guess I just wanted a reason to be mad at him. I was being truthful when I said I couldn't get the image of them out of my head, and it was preventing me from doing anything to get myself off. The only exception was Monday, the day after the fight, and I don't know what it was that got me in so much of a mood that I couldn't physically stop, but I wanted that again. I need it, and I craved it, but I couldn't find it.

I tried again every morning, but it didn't work. I thought it was because the weight of unforgiveness was heavy on my shoulders, and I knew the only way to get rid of it was to forgive and be forgiven. That's exactly what I had to do to start the night off right.

I hadn't been the best boyfriend, but I was truly trying my hardest to be. I was just letting myself get caught up in a moment, and it wasn't healthy. I was broken and Kate knew it. She was trying her hardest to patch up the holes until we both felt better. She was putting my happiness before her own, and I didn't want her to do that anymore. It was time to tell her everything I was feeling and not hold back for once.

I told her I loved her multiple times a day, but she deserves to know just how she made me feel. I needed to show her just how much.

A few minutes later is when the passenger door opened and Kate quietly slipped in. She didn't say anything, and she avoided all eye contact with me whatsoever.

"Hi," I said softly.

She sighed deeply before saying, "Hey." Her gaze was focused outside the window, not looking at anything in particular, just outside.

"You ready to go?" I asked. She nodded, so I started my car and peeled out of the parking lot as soon as it was warmed up.

She didn't say anything until we were about three minutes away from her house.

"Where are you taking me for the date?" she questioned, genuinely curious. There was literally no life in her voice. I sucked it all out of her.

"Uh, we're gonna go to an awesome diner first, then I'm gonna take you to get frozen yogurt. Nothing too fancy, just so there's no pressure," I explained. She nodded again, and another silence took over the car. She was resting her head against the window, and once I got to her house, she gathered her things before getting out of my car. I rolled the window down to confirm everything, just so there was no pressure. "So...is seven good?" I asked.

"Yeah, seven is fine. Bye, Luke," she responded, turning around and heading for her front door. I waited until I saw her get in safely before I pulled off.

The drive to my house took about ten minutes, and when I got there I headed straight for the shower. I kicked my shoes off at the door, and I carried them to my room. I set them down in my closet, and I grabbed my towel off the hook on the back of my door.

I went into the bathroom, and I turned on the shower. Once it was warm, I stripped and hopped in. I sighed as soon as I felt the water hit my back.

I knew I had to make this all worthwhile. I needed to make my baby girl feel special, so I was going to treat her like a princess tonight. I wanted to show her that I was still the same person she fell in love with all those months ago.

I knew I'd gotten a little side-tracked, but I was the same, and I needed her to know that.

I bathed quickly, rinsed off, and got out of the shower. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist after turning off the water. I brushed my teeth before leaving the bathroom and heading to my bedroom to get dressed.

After putting on a pair of clean boxers, I chose to wear some black skinny jeans, a plain white shirt, and a black jacket to cover my arms. I grabbed the blow dryer so I could dry and style my hair, and once I was done, I was all ready to go.

I picked up my phone and unplugged it from its charger. I ran a shaky hand through my hair as I glimpsed at myself in the mirror just before leaving my room. I bit my lip and sighed, turning on my heels and walking away and out the door after cutting off the lights.

I made my way downstairs where I saw my mum searching through the refrigerator.

"Mum, I'm going out," I told her.

"Where about?" she asked. I was more than nervous about all of the events that would take place after I left this house. All I could hope was that everything worked out just how I wanted it to.

"I'm taking Kate on a date. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Maybe a little after midnight, but I don't know," I replied. I wanted to try something I hadn't in a while, but I didn't know how Kate would take it. She'd probably think I was going to stop in the middle, but I planned to commit until the end.

"Oh, well, have fun. Your dad and I are going out into the city, and we probably won't be back until late tomorrow, so the house will be all free tonight," she said winking. She pats me on the back a couple of times which made me crack a small smile.

"Okay, thanks, Mum. I'll see you tomorrow." I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before continuing my journey out of my house.

"No sex, Luke Robert!" she yelled on my way out. I just laughed it off, I said goodbye, and I grabbed my keys and walked out the door.

Once I got in the car, I started it and drove away from my house, heading to Calum's. I quickly checked to time to find it to be almost five in the evening, so I had about an hour and a half to kill before I had to make my way to Kate's house.

I didn't know how long this was going to take but I hoped we'd be back to normal in a matter of minutes.

Five minutes later, my car was parked in Calum's driveway and I was knocking on his door. Joy answered the door and told me where I could find Calum. She also offered me some food, but I politely declined.

I made my way up the stairs to Calum's room, and once I was at his door, I twisted the knob and opened it.

I walked in on him playing video games, and just before he noticed me, just yelled out in triumph due to whatever had happened on his game.

"Cal," I called out. His attention was immediately brought to my figure standing in the doorway, and his face dropped.

He huffed before asking, "What do you want?"

"I-um...I came to apologize," I confessed truthfully. He sent me a confused stare, and he sat up straight.

"Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Yeah," I replied, letting out a nervous chuckle. My hand flew up to the back of my neck as I scratched to blow off some of my uneasiness.

"Well, okay then. I'm listening." His face was blank and my head was starting to spin.

"I just came to clear the air, and then maybe after, we could go back to how we were before. We could be best friends again. I want you to know how sorry I am for not accepting your apology earlier. I can't believe it took Kate almost breaking up with me to realize how irrational I was actually being," I stated. He nodded. "I apologize for holding this against you when you were just as much involved as Kate was. I didn't know how to take it. I figured that I would lose Kate as a girlfriend after I'd worked so hard to get her in the first place if I didn't forgive her and I didn't want that to happen. I felt like losing her would her worse than how I felt when I found out you two almost hooked up. And yes, I knew it was before we were even in a relationship, but it still hurt. Like, literally the next day we said we loved each other, and I didn't think anything could ruin it. Why didn't you tell me then?"

All that I was saying to Calum was from my heart, and I knew I had to do another one of these to my girlfriend in just a few hours. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

"For the same reasons, you said. I knew how long you'd been working to get her, and I didn't want to ruin it for you. Fuck, you guys were crying and it was so sentimental, and I wanted you both to remember it for the special moment it was, not for me to tarnish it forever because of a mistake that was made the night before. And, believe me, I was going to tell you, but I wanted to wait until the time was right. I didn't know when that was going to be, but I was, I swear," he explained. After all this time, I finally understood why he didn't tell me right away. Honestly, if I were in his position, I probably would've done the same thing he did. I still would've liked for it to come from him or Kate, but I'm glad we were getting this out of the way now.

"I understand now, Cal, but I have one more question."

"Shoot," he encouraged. There didn't seem to be any tension in the air like there usually was when we were in the same room or passed by each other. Like I told Kate, I think the fight helped us blow off some steam. I felt like we would be back to normal in no time.

"Why did it happen? I know you already said when I first found out, but what actually happened to make her want you?" I asked timidly.

"I actually don't know. I just know she was crying and she was so confused. I was agreeing with her too, and I think that's what she wanted to hear at the time. I could see her heart tearing right in front of my eyes because of what she heard you tell Caitlyn. I didn't know the whole story, but from what she told me, you seemed like such an asshole, no offense." He chuckled nervously and I laughed along with him. "I'm not sure what the hell possessed me to kiss her back, but I want you to know that it didn't mean anything. I don't like her, not then and not now. She's all yours, mate. It's just that, I hadn't kissed anyone in ages, and I loved the feeling of that adrenaline rush that it gave me. Once I realized what was going on, I knew we'd both messed up, I wasn't going to let her do that to you, and I definitely wasn't going to either, especially when I knew about both of you guy's feelings. I didn't want to ruin the potential relationship, and I knew you were going to tell her soon. I could, like, feel it or something. I didn't want to mess it up because I knew how hard you'd been working and how long you'd been waiting to find the perfect time to tell her, and I wasn't going to ruin it for anything."

Once he was done explaining, it all made sense, and I felt awful. I wish I would've listened to Kate and let him explain sooner because he answered all of my questions and I understood why all of this happened. It sprouted from a misunderstanding on my part that I didn't clear up when I had the chance, and ultimately it was my fault.

None of this would've happened if I told Kate what was actually going on when she gave me the chance. She gave me several, and I didn't take any of them. I couldn't blame her.

"Calum, I'm so sorry mate. I feel so bad for being rude when you were trying to reach out to me. I'm sorry for rejecting you when you were just trying to make things right. I shut you down before you could even start. I wish I would've listened to you sooner instead of holding a grudge and being stubborn. Ultimately, I forgive you, and I hope you can find it on your heart to forgive me too," I spilled. I'd completely turned off my brain and I was letting my heart do all the talking. This was so important to me.

"I forgive you, Luke," he laughed. "Besides, you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you because I was lost for an entire month. Also, I'd sacrifice anything for you to make this right. I just want you to be happy, Luke."

"Okay, now, you're making me feel extremely terrible."

"I'm sorry." Calum chuckled, and a brief silence went by before he spoke again. "So, how are you and Kate?"

This was a touchy subject at the moment, but he was my best friend and I didn't mind sharing the news with him.

"Well, um, she tried to break up with me earlier," I confessed. Calum's eyes went wide, and I bit my lip. "Yeah, so..." I pulled out my phone to check the time. I had to leave Calum's soon because I was planning to go to the store to get flowers and Kate's favorite snack, popcorn. Then I was going to make my way to her house and try to get there by seven. "I actually have to leave in a bit. I'm taking her on a date so I can try to save our relationship. Cal, I love her so much. I really don't want to lose her," I said flopping back onto his bed.

"I know, but you can get her back by lying around."

"You're right. I'm gonna head out. See you later?" I told him. He nodded and stood at the same time as I did.

"I'm glad we're back, Lucas," he said, pulling me into a bro-hug.

"Me too, Cal. Me too." I patted and rubbed his back a bit before pulling away. I was so glad he wasn't still mad because that would've thrown this entire night off. I started towards the door and said, "Bye, Calum."

"Bye. Good luck with Kate. She loves you," he told me before I walked out. I jogged down his stairs and said goodbye to his mum. I swiftly exited his house, got in my car, and drove away.

My next destination was the store. There was a small floral shop nearby and a gourmet popcorn place close to that. I was going to try to get in a get out as quickly as possible so I could still make it to her's on time.

About ten minutes later, I was at the floral shop, where I picked out a nice bouquet of jasmines, tulips, carnations, and gardenias. I was sure she'd love it. The florist was incredibly nice, and she helped me pick out the perfect bunch, flowers that looked nice and smelled nice together. Once I paid her, I left and went down the street to the popcorn place.

I ordered a small batch of zebra popcorn and a small batch of light salted. The zebra popcorn, which was candy-coated and drizzled with milk and white chocolate, looked pretty appetizing from the menu and the lightly salted was her favorite. The guy behind the counter let me taste both before I paid, just so I could make sure it was okay. Kate and I had similar tastes, so I was pretty sure she would like it.

He poured each batch inside of two separate, printed, cellophane bags, and he sealed them before passing them to me. They were a good size to last her a week or more if she took her time. I gave him my money, and he handed me back a receipt.

I left, get back into my car, and drove toward Kate's house.

There was a constant fluttering in my stomach the whole way there, and that was just caused but the anticipation. I was so nervous my hands were sweating, but I had to pull it together to make this night perfect.

After fifteen minutes of driving, I was finally in her driveway. I sat in the car for a few minutes before I actually got out. I didn't want to overthink this too much because that could lead to me bailing out, and that wasn't an option.

Seven o'clock rolled around before I knew it, and I got out of my car quickly. I grabbed the flowers and the popcorn, and I made my way to her front door.

I rang the doorbell, and she answered. As I took a glance at her face, the wind was nearly knocked out of me. She looked absolutely amazing.

Her hair was curled and free-flowing, a slight difference from the normal waves she wore. She was wearing a white crop top with navy blue pocket and trim around the arms and neckline and light jeans. A white and navy plaid flannel was tied securely around her waist, and she had on a pair of white converse. God, she was so beautiful.

{an image of a girl with a white shirt with blue trim and picket, high waisted blue jeans, and a black and white flannel tied (mostly white) around the waist}

I don't know how long I'd been gaping at her before I actually spoke, but she just kind of stood there nervously.

"Hey, these are for you," I finally said, handing over the popcorn and flowers. She reluctantly took them and held up a finger for me to wait. She turned around and went back inside, and when she came back out, she was empty-handed.

"Thank you, Luke. You look very nice," she complimented. It made my heart skip, but I was trying not to get too giddy.

"I could say the same about yourself. You're beautiful, Kate," I told her, and she smiled. That was the first time I saw her smile all day, and I prayed there would be many more to come throughout the night.

"Thanks."

Once we reached my car, I opened the door for her before going around the get in myself. I started the engine and pulled out of her driveway and headed to the restaurant I was taking her to for dinner.

A short twenty-minute drive later is when we got to the diner. I turned off the car and got it first so I could get the door for her. After she'd gotten out, we walked toward the entrance. What I didn't expect was for her to take my hand as we walked.

I opened the door for her once we arrived at the exit, and I walked in after her. We were met by a hostess standing at a podium and she led us to a booth against the wall. She placed menus on the table, and Kate and I took a seat across from each other. She also greeted us and let us know that a waiter would be over to serve us shortly.

"This is a nice place," Kate complimented. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they have really good food here."

We fell into an awkward silence, and I wanted to break it, but I was going to wait just a little longer. This needed to be perfect. A waitress, who looked to be about in her mid to late twenties, approached our table and greeted us a few minutes later.

"Welcome to The Grove. I'm Allie, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?" She introduced herself with a bright smile.

"Yes, may I have a lemonade with no ice, please?" Kate requested. She wrote it on her pad and then focused her attention on me.

"Water for me," I told her. She wrote that down as well, and she walked away after telling us she'd be right back with our drinks and to take our orders if we were ready.

Our table was still silent, neither of us making any effort to speak. I knew if the date continued to be like this, she'd break up with me for sure.

We were mindlessly looking through our menus, trying to decide what we wanted to eat. I knew what I wanted already, but it gave me an excuse to not say anything.

Allie came back just when I was about to speak, notepad out and ready. "Have you guys decided, or do you want more time?" she asked. I looked at Kate and she nodded, so I ordered first.

"I want a signature hamburger with a side of fries, please," I said.

"I would like the same thing, but could you add mayo?" Allie nodded and jotted something down.

"Okay, it should be ready in about twenty minutes." Just before she walked away, I called her back and she made her way over to me. I motioned her to get closer so my mouth was level with her ear. I had an extra request I needed to make.


	42. Piggy-back Ride

Kate's POV

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt like he wanted me to break up with him. I didn't want to jump to conclusions because that never ended well, but Allie was gorgeous.

She was leaned down, and he was whispering something in her ear. I obviously couldn't hear, so I didn't know what he was saying. I just rolled my eyes and took out my phone.

I unlocked it and started mindlessly playing a random brain game.

When he was done, she stood back upright and said, "Okay, I can make that happen." Allie walked away and I gave Luke a confused side glance.

"What was that?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about." Again, I rolled my eyes and focused back on my game. After sitting in silence for ten minutes, Luke decided to speak. "Kate, I'm sorry. I only just realized how that sounded."

"It's fine," I told him, not really meaning it. Truth was, everything wasn't fine. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and forget about everyone, everything. Especially Luke. He was making my brain hurt.

"No, it isn't," he responded. I could hear his foot starting to tap against the ground, one of the nervous gestures he had.

"Yeah, it is," I continued. He just sighed, apparently getting up. I slouched in my chair, hoping he would get the signal. Even though I told him I was fine, I needed him to know me well enough to know that I wasn't.

A couple more minutes of silence, the only noise that could be heard was the chattering of everyone in the diner, Luke stood up. I looked at him, and we locked gaze as he made his way over to my side of the booth.

He slipped in next to me and wrapped his arms around me, before kissing my head. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in my stomach, but I tried my best to ignore them.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered. I was glad that he didn't leave me alone, but I didn't want to talk in the middle of this diner. I wanted to be somewhere more private, just in case I broke down.

"You have to know what's wrong, Kate. Tell me," he pushed, causing me to sigh. I shook my head, and I guess he just gave up, letting another silence settle in.

Ten more minutes passed, and Luke was still cuddling me, his head on my shoulder and his arms around my waist. Allie made her way back over to check on us and inform us how long the rest of the wait was going to be.

"Hi guys, is there anything I can get for you while you wait?" she asked in a polite tone.

"No, thank you," I replied sharply.

"Okay, well, your food should be out in about six or so minutes. If you need anything, you can call me over," she said. She was about to walk away, but then turned on her heels, almost like he forgot something. "Oh, um...Luke, can you come with me really quick?"

"Why?" he questioned, arms still secured around me.

"You know, for that thing," she answered, trying to hint something at him. I silently pleaded for him not to get up and follow her. I looked at him, and his eyes said he was contemplating what to do. If he wanted to save this, he wouldn't go.

Nevertheless, he slid it out of the booth, and Allie led him to some back room. I watched Luke disappear into the room and shut the door behind himself.

I took a deep breath, willing myself not to cry. I was trying not to jump to conclusions too fast, but the situation looked pretty bad. I could see the way he looked at her from the time she came to our table at the beginning of the night. She was everything I wasn't.

I didn't want to cry over him anymore, I wasn't going to. Instead, I slipped the silver ring off and placed it on the table. I was done for the most part, and it would take a miracle for him to save it.

Of course, I still loved him, and I would do anything to be with him, to touch him, feel his lips on mine, to laugh with him until our stomachs hurt and we were crying. It just wasn't working out like I thought it would.

A few tears escaped my eyes against my will, and I took deep breaths to try not to start sobbing.

A few minutes later, Luke came back out. He was fixing his hair while looking at the ground. Even from where I was sitting, I could tell his lips were swollen. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to prevent anymore tears. I had a good clue about what happened in that room, and I honestly couldn't believe him.

I trusted him, of course, I did, but I couldn't ignore the things that were right in front of my eyes. When he got back to the table, he sat on his side.

I glanced at him quickly to find him already already staring at me. He hadn't noticed the ring on the table, but he did squint in my direction.

"Have you been crying?" he asked. I shook my head rapidly, avoiding anymore eye contact. "Don't lie to me, Kate. I can't tell. Your eyes are glossed over," he noticed.

"Luke, it's nothing. I'm fine," I said sternly. He was about to argue, but Allie was back at our table, but this time she had our meals. Their was a guy behind her helping. I recognized him for somewhere.

I shouldn't have stared, but I was trying to remember where I saw him. After a few more seconds, I got figured it out. It was Evan, that guy I talked to in the hallway before Luke and I started dating.

"Kate?" he quizzed, once he caught me staring, making me flush in embarrassment.

"Yeah, that's right. Hi, Evan," I waved and tucked my hair behind my ear, biting my lip.

"Wow, you're more gorgeous than the last time I saw you," he mused. I turned an even brighter red, and I heard Luke grunt from across the table.

"Thanks, I could say the same about yourself," I responded, making him smile. He bit his lip and winked at me before passing Luke his plate. Allie put mine in front of me, but I wasn't paying it any attention. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Sure," I said, not knowing if that were true or not. He waved again before turning around and walking away.

My eyes were starting to burn, probably from crying a little, but I ignored it and looked down to dig into my food. What I saw when I looked at the burger nearly took my breath away.

I looked up at Luke, and he was fuming, but his features softened once he realized I noticed what was on my burger.

"Did you plan this?" I asked him. He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Why?" The top bun of my burger was off and the extra mayo I ordered was added in the shape of a heart.

"Damn it, Kate, because I love you. I already told you that I don't care what happens, it's always going to be you. I'm so in love with you that I won't be going out any time soon. I'd do anything for you. I'm just waiting for you to realize that and trust me. I made a promise to you, and I don't plan on breaking it," he explained. My heart stopped at his confession, but he wasn't done. "Look under the plate," he instructed.

I did as I was told, lifting the plate a little. Under it, I found a folded piece of paper taped to the bottom. I pulled it off gently and unfolded it.

In Luke's handwriting, it read: _50 Reasons Why I Love You_ and it had a list filling the front and back. I read through them all, and some were pretty kind and specific. It took my about five minutes.

Once I was done, I looked up at Luke teary-eyed, but this time it was for a different reason.

"Luke," I breathed.

"You don't have to say anything," he huffed, shoulders slumped. He was already finished with half of his food.

"This is so beautiful," I told him. This was definitely what I needed, this made me forget about all of our problems. It made me want to keep him more than I ever did before.

I actually didn't know why I ever considered breaking up with him in the first place, I needed him in my life. I was just scared that he would break me before this was all over. That's what I was running from.

"Thanks."

That was the last thing he said until we both finished eating. When Allie came back to check on us, Luke asked for the check. She was back within minutes. Luke paid her quickly, picked up my ring, and left her a huge tip.

He headed out of the door without making sure I was behind him. I slipped out of the booth quickly and tried to keep up. Once we made it to the car, he got in and waited for me to do the same.

He didn't say anything. He just started the car and drove out of the parking lot and onto the road, going toward our next destination, the frozen yogurt place nearby.

"Calum and I are friends again," he said suddenly.

"What? Really?" He nodded. "How?"

"Before I came to get you tonight, I went to his house and talked it out with him. We told each other how we felt and once we were on the same page, we made up. I have you to thank for that, so thank you," he clarified. I put my hand on his thigh, and he quickly glanced at me before refocusing on the road.

"I'm happy for you, Luke."

"I did it for you. Even though I didn't want to at first, I'm glad I did. You were right. After you said you didn't want to be with me anymore, it scared me. I worked so hard to get you to jet lose you like that. I promised myself that I would fight to fix up and get things right because without you I'm nobody."

"I just wanted to help."

"I know, and I understand that now because I feel so much better."

"I love you," I blurted, my lips not being able to hold back.

"Then, why'd you take the ring off?" he asked, his tone sounding hurt. He pulled into the parking lot of a familiar place, found a spot, and parked the car.

"I was hurt. I didn't want to admit it, but I'm so scared of losing you. Sometimes, I don't feel like you want me, especially when pretty girls come around. They all look so much better than me, and they have so much more to offer. I can't help but feel like you're going to choose them over me," I said opening my door and getting out of the car. I didn't want to face him any longer because I was embarrassed. I was so pathetic, and I didn't deserve Luke.

He followed me, getting out and coming around to my side. I covered my face with my hands so he wouldn't see me crying.

"Kate, what are you on about? How could you not know that I love you and only you? I want you all the time. I need you. I think you're more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen, and I want you to believe me when I tell you. That's why I gave you this ring," he confessed holding it up between his thumb and index finger. "When I gave it to you, I promised I would fight for us, no matter how hard it got. I would always find my way back to you, and I would forever be faithful. Kate, it's you. I worked so hard to get you, and now that you're mine, I never want to lose you. I'm never going to give up on us. You promised me the same things, and I don't want to lose you just as much as you don't want to lose me. We're in this together, we're on the same team. I need you to promise me you'll fight long enough so when the time comes, I'll officially make you mine."

I could hear him walk towards me, and I lost it. Sob raked through my body as he encased me in his arms, holding me close.

"I'm so sorry," I cried into his chest. He rubbed my back up and down to try and soothe me, but it wasn't working.

"It's okay," he hushed.

"No, I've been such a terrible girlfriend, but I was just scared." I was so insecure and self-conscious and I never felt like I deserved anything, even if I did. For some reason, I always get like everything good that came my way was too good to be true.

I always felt like I was worth less than everyone else.

"You haven't, I swear. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and you don't need to be scared because I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. By now, the tears were full-on flowing out of my eyes, but Luke couldn't see because my hands were still covering my face. "Shh, babe, don't cry."

"I don't deserve you," I bawled.

"Yes, yes you do. You deserve the world, baby girl." He removed my hands from my face, but I kept my eyes closed. He held my face in his hands and wiped the tears from my eyes. At this moment, I was so grateful that I put on waterproof mascara. Otherwise, my face would've been a disaster. "Look at me," Luke commanded softly. "I want to see those beautiful eyes of yours." I sniffled before reluctantly opening them, meeting his crystal blue ones. "There they are," he said smiling. "You are absolutely stunning, and I love you more than anything," he whispered, leaning in closer every second.

He tilted my face up and gazed into my eyes for a few seconds. I said "I love you, too," and he gently pressed his lips to mine.

It was like fireworks went off inside me. I hadn't kissed Luke in days, and it felt so nice to have his lips on mine. My entire body was tingling, and I felt weak in the knees. My arms were wrapped around Luke's waist and his hands were caressing my face.

This had to be the best thing that I've ever experienced because he too was the best thing that'd ever happened to me. We stayed like that for a few more seconds, no tongue or anything, just a sweet and gentle kiss.

He pulled away first and kissed me directly in the center of my forehead.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked. I nodded quickly and embraced him into a hug. When I pulled away, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear before saying, "Smile, princess."

I grinning, causing him to lean in and kiss me again before reaching out his hand for me to take.

"Oh, I saw this thing on Tumblr, and I wanted to do it, so can you give me a piggyback ride?" I asked. He cocked an eyebrow and laughed at first. When I crossed my arms playfully, he turned his back to me.

"Hop on," he instructed. I walked closer and put hands on his shoulders, jumping and wrapping my legs against his waist so I didn't fall off. I let my arms hang over his shoulders and my head rest by his as he started trudging towards the entrance of the fro-yo shop. "Wait," he said suddenly, stopping. "I almost forgot this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. "Do you promise?" he asked.

"I promise," I agreed, leaning down to kiss him on his face. He giggled before slipping the ring back on where it was before.

"Alright, let's go get frozen yogurt wasted!" he cheered. I burst into hysterics as he started bolting to the door.

"Luke, I'm going to fall!" I screamed in the middle of my laughter fit. I was holding on for dear life, trying not to get dropped onto the asphalt.

"I'm not gonna drop you! Just trust me." He ran until he got to the door, letting me down carefully. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I responded. He opened the door, and a chime sounded throughout the place. The guy at the register welcomed us as we walked in, hand in hand.  
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Once we were done at the frozen yogurt shop, Luke drove us back to his house, which took about half an hour. Upon our arrival, he let us in and we kicked our shoes off at the door. We made our way up to his room.

When we got in there, he flicked the lights on. Luke rummaged through one of his drawers and handed me one of his shirts to wear to bed. I took it and thanked him, setting it on his bed to put on after I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

As soon as I returned to his room I changed quickly so I was only in my bra, underwear, and his shirt. He had gone to the bathroom to brush his teeth as well, the same as I had a few minutes ago.

It was pretty late actually, a little past midnight. I was tired, but I didn't want to go to sleep just yet.

I scooted up near the headboard and just rested my head on top of the bunch of pillows. I closed my eyes to block out the light that was coming from the ceiling.

After a few minutes, the light I could see through my lids disappeared and turned to complete darkness. I felt a dip in the bed, and when I opened my eyes, Luke was hovering over me, his weight is supported by his hands. Now, the only light that could be seen in the room was a small nightlight on the other side.

I could make out his face, and I saw him smiling widely. I smiled back and put both my hands on either side of his face. He lowered himself onto his elbows so his entire body was pressed against mine except for his legs.

I was so happy that this date ended in us stronger than ever. I hoped that everything could go back to normal and that this night ended in pure bliss.

While we were at the frozen yogurt shop, Luke made it his mission to tease me every chance he got. He would place his hand at the top of my thigh and slowly move it inside, making his fingers dance around my core.

Occasionally, he would lean over and try to discretely suck and nibble on the skin of my neck. Since it was mostly under the table, he used that to his advantage and didn't let his free hand leave from in between my legs.

I would softly whine, which caused him to smirk. He would whisper in my ear, "Later," before completely removing his hand, leaving me gasping for air. Wetness started to pool between my legs, so I clamped them together to try and relieve some of the pressure that was starting to build up.

He made my entire body heat up, and caused a fire to ignite in the pit of my stomach. I was sure the people in the place could see how red my face was and the way my eyebrows were furrowing in concentration so I could try to suppress the small moans I desperately wanted to let out.

I noticed that he was back to himself, and I was thankful for that. I knew it had to be from forgiving his best friend and being forgiven. I could tell it was all starting to get to him, and that's why I was pressing so hard about it. I just wanted the weight to be off of his shoulders so he could finally have control over his mind and the things he wanted to do.

Luke pretty much left me alone for the entirety of the car ride, as we just made small talk and laughed about random things. He was giving me time to calm down.

It felt like we'd stared into each other's eyes for the longest time, silently asking if we were both okay with what was about to happen. I nodded slowly and pulled him down closer.

Just before he reached my lips, he stopped. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but he quickly pressed a kiss to my lips before coming back up.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Luke, you ask me that every time," I laughed. "Of course I am," I confirmed, pulling him down again. Our lips connected for a brief second before he pulled away again.

"I know, but I just want to make sure baby," he said, kissing me again. My hands trailed from his cheeks to the nape of his neck, my fingers subconsciously playing with the short hairs there.

"I'm sure, Luke. Are you?" He leaned down again and kissed my jaw, my cheek, my forehead, before resting on my lips. I could feel his growing bulge through these skin-tight jeans, which he hadn't taken off yet. He was still fully clothed.

"Mmm," he hummed against my lips. "I am. I need you, princess." He rolled his hips around, grinding himself on me. I gasped, and he used that as an opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth.

I would've been lying if I said I didn't think he was going to chicken out this time. To some extent, I didn't think he would, but there was still some doubt in my mind. I didn't even want to think about it though. I wanted to shut my brain off and let him consume my mind, and that's what I did.

"I love you, Luke," I told him when he came up to breathe.

"I love you more, baby girl," he responded reattaching our lips.

* * *

I wanted to go slow for once, I wasn't in a rush to do anything. I wanted to be built up so much, that when I finally exploded, pleasure would be overtaking my entire being. So much so that Luke would be my only focus, my only thought.

I loved him so much, and I literally couldn't imagine myself with any other person. He makes me feel things I don't think anyone could ever make me feel.

And sure, we had our days, but we always found our way back to each other.

The kiss we were sharing was deep as our tongues moved with each other. Luke's hands disappeared under the shirt I was wearing and he squeezed my sides before starting to push it up slowly.

He removed his mouth from mine and attached it to my neck, sucking the skin there. I knew it was definitely hard enough to leave a mark, and I loved that. It sent a tingling from my neck down to my fingers and toes.

After a few more seconds, he'd gotten my shirt off. He brought one of his hands, which wasn't roaming all over my body, down to my center and started rubbing me through my panties. My hands instantly tangled themselves in his hair.

I let out a small whimper, and my hips bucked upward, making Luke's finger create more pressure against me. I could feel his growing bulge on my thigh, and the thought of me being the reason for that was making my insides heat up.

He kept sucking, nibbling, and leaving openmouthed kisses across the skin on my neck and jaw. I could feel my underwear becoming damper by the second, as he kept drawing circles and figure eights against me.

Thirty seconds passed before Luke pulled away altogether, leaving me panting and extremely turned on. I saw him remove his shirt, and he unbuttoned his pants, preparing to pull those off too. I sat up to help him.

Once they were at his ankles, he kicked them off the rest of the way, his hard-on much more prominent without the constriction of his skinny jeans. While I was still sitting up, he crawled back over to me and smashed his lips to mine.

I fell back, bringing him back on top of me, but he had other plans. He rolled us over so I was topping, our lips never breaking the connection. I swiped my tongue across his bottom lip, and he parted them so I could have full access to his mouth. His tongue found mine quickly, and they molded together.

I pulled back slightly and took his bottom lip between my teeth, tugging on it a bit. He moaned into my mouth as I pressed our lips back together. Luke's hands roamed all over my body, pulling me closer to him. He finally settled them on my hips, and he started to guide me to move back and forth against his crotch.

Soon he was groaning and whining as I applied more pressure right where he needed me. I removed my lips so I could leave a few marks of my own on him. I went for his neck, starting off with a few light kisses on the side. I moved down to his collar bone and I sucked gently on one spot for a bit.

I looked up at Luke's face, and his eyes were squeezed close, his face contorted into an expression that was mixed with pleasure and needs. His bottom lip was pulled between his teeth and his eyebrows were scrunched together. I left a few kisses on his jawline, and then I moved to his sweet spot right behind his ear that I knew drove him absolutely wild.

"Baby..." he panted as I rolled the skin between my teeth and then kissed on it to calm the burning. Luke's body was now covered with a thin sheet of sweat, making him glisten under the dim nightlight.

I continued to move my hips against his, adding more pressure and picking up the pace every few seconds. My lips had now moved to his chest and torso, and there I left a few love bites as well. I kept leaving marks until he grabbed my face between his hands and pulled me back to his lips. 

Once the kiss was deepened again, his hands found their way to the clasp of my bra. He unclipped it and slowly slid the straps down my arms. When it was off, he flung it across the room, neither of us caring where it landed.

He moved his hands to my back and trailed them down slowly, leaving goosebumps in their wake. As soon as he got to my hips, he changed the direction of my hips so that they were circling around instead. He was harder than I've ever felt him before.

"Mmm, Luke," I softly moaned into his mouth. He grunted and swiftly flipped us over again. He separated our lips once more and moved them to my chest, leaving wet and warm kisses and even a few love bites across my breasts. My hands found their way back into his hair, tugging at the roots every time I felt a jolt of pleasure course through my body.

Luke left a trail of kisses down my torso right until he got to the waistband of my underwear. They were pretty normal, nothing lacy or anything like that, just a cute pair of briefs with a small pink bow in the center.

I'd pretty much ruined them with how wet they were. Luke, hooked two fingers around the elastic and started to pull them down. When he got them to my ankles, he pulled them off completely and threw them somewhere random.

He focused his attention back on me, and he started kissing up my inner thighs while I called out his name repeatedly. He then kissed everywhere except where I needed him the most.

My core was throbbing with anticipation, and I was literally dripping at this point.

"Oh my god, baby. You're soaking," he noticed, his voice so close to me, it sent vibrations up my core and throughout me.

"Luke, please. Do something al-" I was cut off by my own moaning when Luke licked up my center. I tried to clamp my legs shut, but he was keeping them apart, furthering the pleasure I was receiving and bringing me closer to the edge by the second.

He started flicking his tongue back and forth at a rapid pace, and every once in a while he would roll a very sensitive bundle of nerves between his teeth, making me cry out.

I didn't know what I wanted to do with my hands. I fisted the sheets for a bit before moving them back to his hair, pulling at it hard and pressing his face closer to me. He chuckled and dipped his tongue into my entrance, pushing it in and out at a fast pace.

I could feel the knot starting to form in the pit of my stomach, the burning increasing. I felt him add a finger, pump it a couple of times before adding a second, his mouth still licking my sensitive areas.

"Luke, oh my god," I screamed. He started pumping and licking faster, making my back arch of the bed. He pushed my hips down on the bed to keep me still, but the bliss was too intense. I wiggled around, and he was trying his best to hold me down, but I was writhing underneath him.

"Be still, princess," he groaned against me, making the knot inside my stomach tightened. Pressure started building up in my lower spine, and I couldn't help but squirm.

"I c-can't, Luke. I'm so cl-ah," I tried to warn him, but I came before I could get the words out. My eyes screwed shut, as I pulled his hair and squeezed my thighs together, trapping his head between my legs. I called his name over and over again while the knot unraveled and my high washed over my body.

Luke removed his fingers, but I could still feel his tongue working against me, lapping up all evidence of an orgasm.

Once I was calmed down, Luke kissed his way back up to my mouth.

"My princess is so beautiful," he mumbled, nipping at the skin on my torso. He continued to travel upwards, making sure to leave marks on any uncovered skin. He worked slowly like he was savoring the way I sounded when I whimpered his name, the way my body responded to him. When Luke got to my neck, he kissed towards my ear and sucked on a spot behind it. "Do you think you can take another one?" he asked.

"Mhmm," was all I could get out as he teasing bit down on my jaw, making me whine his name yet again.

"Good because I'm not done with you," he seductively whispered in my ear. My whole body heated up again, and the wetness started to reform in my core. I wrapped my legs around his waist, making him press again me. "Hmm, I don't think I can wait any longer. Fuck, I'm so hard. I need you right now," he moaned as I wiggled my hips under his, creating enough friction to make him even harder than before.

His lips found mine again and pressed himself against me even more, causing me to beg for him. After a minute more of kissing, Luke reached to the side and into the bottom drawer of the nightstand, pulling out a square, foil packet.

He pulled away and took his boxers off, sliding the condom over himself quickly. Once he made sure it was secure, he hovered over me, supporting all of his weight on his forearms. He looked into my eyes, and even though it was dark in the room, his eyes were shimmering, lighting up the night.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded and placed my hands on his cheeks. I pulled him down and he pressed his lips to mine. Luke lined himself up with my entrance and before he pushed in, he said, "I love you. I love you so much, Kate."

"I love you, Luke," I responded, a tear slipping out of my eye. I was so happy at this moment, and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else. Even when he didn't, he made me so happy and every time I told him I loved him, I meant it with my entire being.

He moved his hips forward ever so slowly, stopping when he was buried inside me. I sighed, which came out as more of a whine and moan mixed, my second high quickly approaching. Luke kissed away my tears and moved a stray piece of hair out of my face. Then, he rested his head in the crook of my neck, pressing a few kisses to my shoulder.

Once he started to move his hips, rocking in and out of me at a slow steady pace, his moans grew loader and started to mix with mine. All you could hear is us calling out each other's names, and Luke would whisper how much he loved me in my ear all the while.

As he got more and more comfortable, his hands started roaming all over my body. First, he started kneading one of my breasts as his other hand trailed down my side.

When he got to my leg, he picked it up and wrapped it around his waist, changing the angle he was thrusting into me. Somehow it felt much deeper, and I couldn't help but tell him how good it felt. A fluttering occurred in my stomach every time he pushed in, and I couldn't describe it, but I didn't want it to stop.

"Just like that, Luke," I moaned into his ear as he started going faster and a little harder. My back arched off the bed in an attempt to be closer to him, and that made him hit a spot inside me causing me to cry out in pleasure. "Right there," I told him whilst panting.

He held my body close to his, our chests and torsos flushed together as he continued to hit that special spot inside me. Luke took his free hand and found mine, interlocking our fingers.

"You feel so good, baby. Fuck, so good. I love you," he groaned, bringing his mouth to mine. The pressure in the pit of my stomach started to build rapidly, me not being able to hold on any longer.

"Luke, mmm, I'm so close," I informed against his lips. My walls started to clench around him, so he slowed down the thrusts and dragged out a long whimpering moan.

"Shit, you're so tight," he said, my walls closing in more and more as my high approached. I felt him twitch inside me, letting me know he was just as close as I was. My face was scrunched up, and my entire body was covered in sweat, both of ours were. He took his lips away from mine and pressed a kiss to my forehead, before resting his against mine. "Open your eyes, princess. Look at me," he instructed

Even though my eyes were heavy and the pleasure was too intense for me to keep them open, I opened them and stared into his eyes. He kissed me quickly before looking at me again.

"I c-can't hold on any longer, Luke," I whined as he kept rocking into me at a slower pace. My eyes involuntarily squeezed shut as the knot built up so much.

"Yes, you can, baby girl. Keep your eyes on me, just a little bit longer," he coaxed. The butterflies in my stomach went crazy because I was right on the edge. Each time he thrust into me, I felt the burn of love and desire. That was enough to push me, but Luke told me to hold it, so I did.

When his thrusting became sloppier, he caught his lip between his teeth, trying his best to build it up as high as he could. His moaning grew louder and more frequent as he got closer to his release.

"I love you, Luke," I told him in a shaky voice, try to hold myself back as he asked

That seemed to push him over the edge, as he said, "Let go, baby," letting out a throaty groan. We watched each other as we came together. I felt him spill into the condom, while the nails of the hand he wasn't holding raked down his back, our moans filling the otherwise silent room. My toes curled and my back arched up even further.

He rode out both of our highs, intensifying the pleasure. I was calling out his name and he was calling out mine, mumbling a few swears in between as well as telling me he loved me.

"I love you so much, Kate," he proclaimed.

Once we came down from our climaxes, he pulled out of me and discarded the used condom. He found his boxers and put them back on, and he also threw me his shirt, my panties, and bra. I put them on quickly and he made his way back over to me, climbing on the bed and laying next to me.

* * *

"That was so...intense," I said chuckling. He laughed too.

"Yeah, it was."

"What got into you?" I asked. I knew he was back to normal, but he was just like how he was a couple of months ago, just a little more sensual.

"I don't know. I guess I just missed you. I needed you, like, I really did," he confessed, making me smile. I pulled the duvet over the both of us, and he pulled me on top of him. I rested my head on his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around me.

"I missed you too," I said. "I'm glad you're back to yourself."

"Yeah, I'm happier than I've been in a while," he responded, kissing me on top of my head. "All thanks to you." The room went silent for a couple of minutes, is just enjoying each other's presence. Luke spoke up again, just as I was about to fall asleep. "Guess what, Kate."

"What?"

"I just made love to you. Baby, we just made love," he exclaimed. I looked up at him, and a huge smile was plastered across his face.

"Yes, we did," I giggled, reaching down to kiss him. He was still smiling into the kiss, and he hummed as I connected our lips. We made out for three minutes, me pulling away first.

"My room smells like sex," Luke observed, which made me laugh.

"Yeah, kind of." My eyes were getting heavier as sleep started to take over me.

"I need to clean up before my parents come home tomorrow night," he said.

"I'll help, but right now I just want to sleep." He rubbed my back and started kissing my head again.

"Okay, you can sleep." I sighed in relief. "Sweet dreams, baby girl. I'll be here when you wake up. I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I mumbled back. As I finally let sleep pull me under, the only thing I could hear was Luke humming a song in my ear.  
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When I woke up, just as Luke promised he was under me, his hand rested on my lower back, under the shirt I was wearing. I looked up at his face and he was already awake, his crystal blue eyes peering into mine.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morning, beautiful," he responded. I reached up and kissed him briefly, and he squeezed my sides in response.

"What time is it?" I asked. I looked outside, and the sun looked like it'd only recently come up.

"Like, a little past seven. I just woke up a few minutes before you, but I think I'm going to go back to sleep. It's too early and I'm exhausted," he explained.

I had to agree with him. If I were able to sleep all day, I would jump at the chance. Last night wore me out, and I was so tired.

"Okay, same. Plus, I'm really sore."

"Sorry about that," he chuckled nervously, biting his lip.

"No, it's fine. I enjoyed myself," I told him honestly.

"That's good. We'll do it again sometime soon." He winked, causing me to bury my face in his chest to hide the redness of my face.

"I'm going back to sleep," I said, my voice muffled. He agreed and I soon fell asleep once again.

The next time I woke up, though, Luke wasn't under me. I was cuddled into one of his pillows, breathing in his scent. My eyes fluttered open, and I squinted because of the light coming through the curtains.

I sluggishly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I used the toilet and brushed my teeth quickly. I used my fingers to comb out my semi-tangled hair, and to be honest, it didn't look that bad considering.

I gasped when I paid close attention to my appearance. My neck was littered with love bites, like, there was literally no skin that was left uncovered. I lifted up Luke's shirt to reveal tons more scattered across my chest and midsection. I knew they would all take days to go away, but I kind of like being mark.

I could only imagine what Luke looked like, so I went downstairs to try and find him. I looked in every room, but he was nowhere to be found. My last hope was the kitchen, but he wasn't in there either. Instead, I found a sticky note stuck to the island top.

It read:  
 _Hey, babe. If you find this before I get back, I just went out to get us some breakfast. I'll be back in thirty minutes tops. I love you x_  
 _\- Luke, 10:43 am :-)_

The note made me feel a lot better. I looked around for a clock, and I found one on the microwave. It was eleven oh-six, so he should've been on his way back.

I went into his living room, sat on the couch, and turned on the television, so I could entertain myself while I waited for Luke to come back. I settled on some kid's show with talking puppies that was quite funny.

After ten minutes of watching, I heard the door open.

"I'm back, and I brought food!" my boyfriend yelled from the front of the house. I got up quickly to greet him, and when I met him he was putting a bag of food down on the counter. Once he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he smiled, opening his arms for me to walk into them.

He had on all black, almost similar to what he wore yesterday, and a grey beanie covering his head. His cheeks were flushed and his face had this glow to it that I couldn't quite describe.

I picked up my pace and fell into him, taking in his scent. "I've only been gone for like thirty minutes," he laughed.

"I know, but I missed you," I said, squeezing him tighter.

"Clingy much?"

"Shut up, you're the clingy one," I retaliated. Without warning, he picked me up and sat me on the counter, making his shirt bunch at my sides. He wrapped my legs around his waist, bringing himself closer to me.

"I don't think so, babe," he whispered, lifting my chin up using his thumb and pointer finger.

"Well, I beg to differ," I breathed, my heart rate starting to quicken. Adrenaline was pulsing behind my ears.

"Is that so?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. I nodded slowly as he leaned down, his eyes never leaving mine. Instead of kissing my lips, he kissed the corners of my mouth, teasing me.

"Luke, don't tease," I muttered, trying to move my face to get our lips to connect. He was holding my face pretty stationary though, and kissing everywhere but where I wanted.

"What do you want, baby?" he asked, starting a trail of kisses down my jaw.

"You."

"Don't say that unless you're going to finish what you start," he warned. A few seconds later, I felt the beginning of a bulge starting against me. "More specific."

"Kiss me," I directed. Luke answered my request and smashed his lips to mine. I slowly parted them, letting his tongue gain access to my mouth.

He finally let go of my chin and moved his hands to my thighs, gradually snaking them up my shirt. Familiar sparks went off inside me as we continued kissing, Luke squeezing my sides and letting his hands wander under my shirt. I moaned into his mouth, causing him to let out a groan of his own and press his growing hard against my center.

"I love the sounds you make, babe. They're so beautiful, just like you," he mumbled with his lips still on mine. My underwear started to dampen again, while I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to mine.

"Mhmm."

We made out for a couple more minutes, Luke pulling away first, leaving me soaking and him incredibly excited. He gazed at me, his eyes settling on the mark he left on my neck last night.

"Oh my gosh, how many are there?" he asked lifting up my shirt, finding the rest of them. "Did I get too carried away?"

"No, I think they're nice. You've got a bunch too," I noticed. He nodded and lifted his shirt as well, exposing the rest that was on his chest and torso.

"Yeah, last night was wild. I could give you more though," he said, lifting my shirt and attaching his lips to the skin just under my bra.

"I bet, but for now, let's eat. The food is going to get cold," I announced. His action stopped immediately. He pulled my shirt back down and helped me off the counter.

"Hungry?"

"Yes, and when we're finished eating, I'll help you with your problem. Then, we can clean up," I offered while he picked up the bag of food and we walked to the dining room.

"Deal."


	43. New

Kate's POV

Once we got in the dining room, I set the bag on the table and l pulled the two boxes out. One had a 'W' written on the top, and the other had a 'P'.

"Is this one mine?" I asked pointed to the one with the 'W'. He nodded, and I opened it up. I found a whole waffle with a few strips of bacon inside and a small bow of fruit in the corner.

I politely slid his box to him, and of course there were pancakes inside. I passed him the cutlery out of the bag, and as I was about to take a seat next to him, he grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his lap.

I wasn't surprised that he was still aroused even after last night. He literally deprived himself for weeks because of me. I wanted to do anything I could to help him out.

"Luke, how are you going to eat with me sitting on your lap?" I asked, giggling a little.

"I can take it away," he replied. He took out his knife to cut the pancakes, and when he was finished, he drizzled some syrup over the short stack. I did the same before digging in myself.

We pretty much ate in silence, just enjoying the company of one another, taking these moments to the realm over the events of last night and letting our minds run wild. The whole time, Luke had his free hand rested on my thigh, squeezing gently every now and then.

We finished about fifteen minutes later, the room still quiet before Luke spoke.

"Kate?" he called out.

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking about doing something for a while, but I want to know if you think it's a good idea," he explained. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as thoughts about every possibility coursed through me.

I turned around to face him, while still on his lap, so I was completely straddling his waist.

"What is it?" I asked. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before continuing.

"Don't think I'm crazy, but I was thinking about getting my lip pierced?" he stated, but it came out as more of a question. He seemed unsure about the idea, but I guess he just wanted my input.

I thought about it for a while, a short silence overtaking the room. I could hear his foot start tapping on the ground again before I gave my answer.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean, I thought it would look cool," he explained.

I giggled a little before saying, "Are you going to rip all of your jeans and drop out of school too?" He rolled his eyes but finally broke a smile a few seconds later.

"No. Plus, half of my jeans are already ripped anyway," he pointed out.

"That's true," I agreed. "What do you think your mum's going to say?" Liz was very nice, but she could also be pretty tough and protective. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but I could only imagine that she wasn't going to let him go through with it.

"I feel like she's gonna say no," he confessed.

"Me too, honestly. I think you should wait until next year, when you turn eighteen," I suggested. He shook his head.

"I'm so sick of waiting until I turn eighteen to do stuff, that's why I'm going to get it done without telling her, and she'll find out once she sees it," he told me.

"Luke, you can't do that," I laughed. "Liz would kill you!"

"Probably, but she'd also kill me if she found out we were having sex. She might set the entire house on fire, with me in it, and walk out like a boss with sunglasses on."

My face turned red at the mention of sex, and I hid my face in his chest. Sure, it was fine when we talked about it, but adding our parents to the conversation just made me feel uncomfortable.

Either way, this was about Luke and his plan to get his lip pierced. If he really wanted it, I'd support him, but I just wanted to make sure he was absolutely positive.

"I think it would look good on you, but are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am," he responded almost instantly. It seemed as if he was eager to get it done, but I couldn't blame him.

"Wait, don't you need a parent's consent if you're under eighteen?" I asked.

I thought I heard about that in health once, but I didn't really know. I guess we just had to try and see.

"I have no idea. Maybe we could just go and see what they say. If they'll do it, great. If they won't, then I'll wait," he proposed. I nodded in agreement, and he kissed the top of my head.

"Sounds like a plan. Are you finished with your food?" He nodded, and I skillfully turned back around to gather the empty boxes. A small, almost inaudible, moan fell from his lips.

He pushed back from the table and carefully lifted me from his lap, standing up immediately after. He headed straight for the door, practically running and called, "I'll be right back," before disappearing up the stairs.

I forgot that he was still sensitive around his crotch area during our thirty minutes of eating. Even though I could obviously still feel his bulge against myself, it just slipped my mind.

I quickly grabbed all of the trash from the table and took it to the trashcan in the kitchen. I got the dishcloth out of the sink and wiped down the counters, and I went back into the dining room to wipe down the table. Just as I was about to put the cloth back, Luke called me from his room.

"Kate, can you come and help me out here for a second?"

I placed the dishcloth back in the sink, and I hurriedly washed my hands before heading up the stairs myself. I knew what he needed help with, and I'd already agreed to helping before, so I was excited. We had about an extra hour to spare before we had to start cleaning, and we planned to use it wisely.  
.  
.  
.  
After taking care of Luke, we started cleaning his room. I swept the floor while he took the sheets off his bed and put them in the washing machine. He replaced them with clean ones, and we straightened up the rooms downstairs before we were finished.

We decided to shower, which ultimately resulted in Luke slipping and falling before I could even get in. I couldn't stop laughing as he yelled in pain, and he eventually started laughing too.

The water was spraying down on him as he just laid there for a second. Once he was ready to get up, he stood and invited me in with him. I took the towel wrapped around my body, and I hung it up on the hook before joining him.

He insisted on washing every inch of my body, causing so much sexual tension in that steamy bathroom that you could cut it with a knife. When he was done, he washed himself, and I washed my own hair.

I rinsed the soap off my body and the shampoo out of my hair, preparing myself to get out. Unexpectedly, I was gently slammed against the wall of the shower. I gasped, and Luke took this opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth.

We made out for a few minutes before he pulled away and said, "You have no idea how much I love you." I kissed him again briefly, and he planted one on my forehead.

Luke shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing my towel and holding it open for me to walk into. Once it was secure around me, he wrapped a towel around his waist and turned off the lights in the bathroom after he walked out behind me.

I went straight to his room to change, but he went to the laundry room to get the shirt he wanted to wear out of the dryer.

He came back once I was already dressed, and he was already dry from walking around for so long. Luke quickly changed into his clean clothes, so we could head to the tattoo and piercing parlor.

He put on a new pair of black skinny jeans and a black muscle tee. He put a beanie over his head because he said he didn't feel like doing his hair.

I was excited for him to get something new, but I was more excited for the aftermath of it. I knew getting a piercing would come with a lot of responsibilities for a while until it healed, and I thought it would be an interesting process.

Luke turned off the lights in his room, grabbed his keys and cellphone, and we went downstairs. I was the first to walk out of the house, and he locked up while I made my way to his car.

It took us about thirty minutes to get to the five-star rated parlor that Luke found online. With every step closer to the entrance, it started to feel more unreal that he was actually going through with this.

I felt like I was more nervous than he was, and once we got to the door and Luke opened it for me to walk in, my nerves only grew. He walked in behind me and grabbed my hand as we made our way to the front desk.

"Kate, are you okay?" he asked, looking down at me.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're shaking like a leaf," he laughed. It was then that I realized my hand was shaking profusely, along with the rest of my body.

"I'm just nervous," I said honestly.

"Why?"

"I don't know." I used my free hand to cover my face while Luke continued to laugh at me, and he dropped our hands and pulled me into a hug.

"If anything, I should be nervous," he confessed.

"Are you?"

"A little, but I'm trying not to overthink it," he explained. He let me go and reattached our hands, walking us to where a guy was standing behind a counter.

"Hey, how can I help you?" he asked politely, a bright smile etched into his face. He had his nose pierced with a small stud in its place. He was wearing a jean vest that showed off the tattoo sleeve on his right arm, and his hair was quiffed up and dyed a grayish-platinum blonde color. His eyes were the color of caramel, and his skin was olive but tanned to perfection.

"I'm looking for Micah. I wanted to get my lip pierced, and I heard he was pretty good," Luke spoke up.

"That would be me," the guy behind the desk chuckled. "Are you ready now?" Luke nodded, and Micah stepped from behind the desk and had us follow him.

As he led us to the back of the shop, I saw another guy cleaning up his station. The one had ginger hair, blue eyes, and he was kind of pale. He was also pretty short if I was being honest. He was just about done when Micah asked him a favor.

"Hey, Fred. Can you go manage the front desk while I do this piercing?"

"Yeah, sure," the ginger responded.

"Thanks, mate." Fred disappeared behind the double doors that led to the front of the shop, and Micah brought Luke to this black, leather chair and had him sit. "I'm going to go get some sterilizer for this needle and the waiver forms, so I'll be right back," he announced.

"Okay," Luke said, his voice cracking a little at the end.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, once Micah was or of the room.

"I think so. I'm getting a lot more nervous as the moment gets closer if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I get it." He waved me closer, from the stool I was sitting on across from him. I got up and made my way towards him. He pulled me onto his lap and snuggled me close.

I could feel his rapid heartbeat through his chest, and I knew he was scared. I wanted to do whatever I could to make him comfortable and soothe him so he would be as nervous.

After a few more minutes, Micah returned, and I pulled away to get off Luke's lap. He didn't let me go without pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. Micah smiled to himself before handing Luke a small stack of papers on a clipboard.

"I'm going to need you to fill these out before I can do your piercing. It's kind of long, but it should take more than, like, fifteen minutes at the most. You can call me back when you're done," he explained.

"Okay," Luke said. He sat up a little more, and Micah handed him a pen before leaving the room once again.

Luke finished filling out the papers fairly quickly and called Micah back to the room in no time. He quickly got started, washing his hands, then putting on gloves. He sterilized the needle and prepped all of the other equipment he was going to need.

He reclined Luke's chair, and Luke got my attention to ask me if I could sit next to him and hold his hand.

"Which side?" Micah asked.

"Left."

"Alrighty then. Let's get started, shall we?" Luke nodded unsurely, but rested his head on the headrest of the seat and started straight up.

I rubbed my thumb on the back of his hand to ease his nerves, and he glanced over to me for a second. I mouthed an 'I love you' to him, which caused him to reward me with a smile that showed all of his teeth.

Once Micah was ready, he walked over to Luke and used an alcohol pad to clean the site around where he was going to pierce. He proceeded to mark the exact spot, and he picked up a tool that looked similar to a pair of tongs.

He clamped Luke's lower lip right over the mark he made and picked up the needle. He placed the pointy tip right at the spot, getting ready to poke a hole in the skin.

"Okay, take a deep breath in," Micah guided. Luke did as he said, and Micah continued with, "Breath out."

As Luke exhaled, Micah pushed the needle through. I felt a tight squeeze on my hand when it happened, and Micah left the needle through Luke's lip. He went over to the tray and grabbed the black stud, and he put it in the hollow part of the needle, slowly guiding it through and out of the hole in his lip, leaving the ring.

He screwed on the ball on the inside and cleaned around his lip again. Once he was finished, Luke sat up and retracted the back of the leather chair.

"How do you feel?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I'm okay. It didn't hurt that bad, just like a little pinch," he described.

"It looks good," I told him. It gave him a whole different glow than usual, and it was a good thing. Something about him just pulled me in deeper than before.

Micah handed him a mirror so he could see the new piercing for himself. When he finally took a look at himself, his eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his skull.

"Oh my gosh. I really like it. Thanks, mate," he said to Micah.

"No problem," he replied smiling. It was one that showed his teeth, but he pressed his tongue to the back of them.

"Am I punk rock yet?" he asked me. I burst out into laughter and looked at me with a confused expression. "What?"

"No, you're too soft to be punk rock, Luke," I said while continuing to laugh. He rolled his eyes but finally gave in a cracked a small smile as well.

A couple of minutes went by before Micah cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go get the cleaning solution and a care kit for you. You're going to need to take really good care of this piercing because if you don't, it could get infected, and you don't want that," he started. "You're probably going want to clean the outside when you wake up and before you go to bed every day until it completely heals. The inside needs to be cleaned after each meal by gargling mouthwash for about ten seconds. It may take as long as six weeks for it to completely heal, and that when you can change the ring out if you want."

"What about kissing? Am I allowed to do that?" Luke inquired.

"Yeah, but no heavy making out. It might irritate the piercing, and again, it could cause an infection."

"For how long?"

"Maybe like two weeks. I would lay off from the kissing for today and tomorrow though, just so your mouth can get used to it. Also, it's going to swell, so just keep some ice on it for the next week to keep it down and to keep it from being red."

"Okay, is that all I need to know?" Luke asked. Micah nodded and handed him the bottle of cleaning solution along with a small bag of other things he needed to take care of the piercing.

"If you'll follow me back to the front desk, I'll ring you up there, and you can pick out another ring to replace after six weeks if you want."

Luke and I just stood as Micah guided us out of the room and to the front of the shop. Once we got there, Luke picked out a black hoop and paid for everything. We said our goodbyes and walked out of the parlor and back to Luke's car.

"I can't believe I'm not allowed to kiss you for the rest of the day or tomorrow, and I really can't believe I'm not allowed to make out with you for two entire weeks. How am I supposed to survive?" Luke complained while starting the car. I just laughed at him.

"You're the one who wanted the piercing. You'll live," I said. He huffed before pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road. About twenty minutes into our drive, Luke's phone rang. He asked if I could answer it for him so he could focus on the road. I picked it up and decided to have a little fun with him. "It's your mum," I told him, even though the name flashing across the screen clearly read 'Calum'.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah..."

"Then, don't answer it," he blurted. I clicked answer anyway and put the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Kate! I told you not to-"

"Hey," I said to Calum, completely ignoring Luke.

"Hi, Kate. The boys and I are going out to eat later, and we were wondering if you and Luke wanted to tag along," Calum informed me.

"Yeah, sure. What time?"

"In like, an hour. Is that good?" he asked.

"It is. Where?"

"It's a really casual restaurant off of the thirteenth street. It'll be really fun."

"Okay, we'll see you in an hour," I told him.

"Alright, see you then. Bye-bye!"

"Bye!" I clicked end, and set the phone back on the console.

"Why would you do that?" Luke chastised. His voice was kind of harsh, but I knew he wasn't that mad.

"Go find your chill, babe. It's not that serious," I retaliated. It was hilarious how he was getting so worked up about the fact that I was just talking to his mum' and that we agreed to meet her in an hour. I also felt bad because he was already worked up about the piercing and his mum finding out about it sooner rather than later as he wanted.

Luke suddenly pulled into this empty lot and parked the car.

"How can I chill out when my mum is possibly gonna kill me for this?" he exclaimed pointing to his freshly pierced lip. His chest was heaving up and down, and his forehead was heavily perspired.

"It's okay. We aren't going to meet your mum. It was just Cal. Also, she won't be that upset. You'll be fine," I coaxed. He leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous about her opinion, and it's starting to hurt a little bit," he apologized.

"It's cool. I'm sorry for scaring you. Come here." He leaned over the separator, and I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth where the piercing wasn't. He groaned in dissatisfaction, but he knew I couldn't get any closer to it for the rest of the day and all do tomorrow. "Let's to my house, and we can get you some ice. Then, we'll head to the restaurant the boys invited us to for lunch."

"Okay," he agreed, starting the car up again. He pulled onto the road and drove down the highway, in the direction of my house. "I love you," he said, looking over to me quickly before looking back at the road ahead of him.

"I love you, Luke. A lot." I leaned my head against the window of the passenger seat, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sound of the Car Radio in the background and the smooth ride of rubber tires against the asphalt.

Luke placed a comforting hand on my thigh, squeezing it lightly for some reassurance as we went the rest of the ride in a pleasant silence.


	44. Grounded

Kate's POV

**One Week Later**

During the past week, Luke had a hard time with his piercing. He struggled the most with the 'no making out' rule. I didn't even like to kiss him because every time, he tried to turn it into something he wasn't allowed. It would also end in him extremely frustrated or complaining about how sore the piercing was. Usually, it was both.

We still had a week left before we were technically allowed to make out, but for now it was short, barely there, kisses. He was pretty good about keeping it clean so it wouldn't get infected, and he would ice it when it was bothering him.

Once we got to dinner with the boys last Saturday, they all freaked out. It was such a positive reaction, and they made him feel like he was cooler than he actually was.

Michael went against my word and told Luke he was super punk rock, which made him smile. Ashton disagreed, and Calum called them all idiots, which was true. Luke went home with me that night, to avoid his parents, and he stayed at my house for the first half of the week.

When he finally returned home, his parents weren't there.

**_*Flashback to Wednesday*_ **

_Luke had been avoiding his own home by staying at mine so he wouldn't have to face his parents. He was mostly scared of his mum's reaction. He felt like his dad would be more chill about it, but he knew deep down that Liz would flip out._

_He finally decided to go back home during the middle of the week after school, so that's where we went. Once we got to his house, he let us in, and we went straight to the kitchen._

_There, we didn't find anyone. Luke told me to stay while he looked around the house to see if his mum and dad were actually home. After minutes of searching, he came back and stood next to me._

_"They aren't here," he said, biting his lip. He made sure it was the side without the piercing so he wouldn't hurt himself._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah, I don't know where they could be. They didn't mention any business trips soon, so I have no idea."_

_"You're lucky then," I stated while subtly laughing. He nodded and cracked a small smile. "Maybe you should call and ask?"_

_"Yeah, hold on." He took his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, dialing Liz's number first. "Hi, Mum...Yes, I just wanted to know where you and Dad were...No, I'm home...I don't know, it was getting boring here...Her parents were home...No, of course not!.. Okay, well, I'll see you then, I guess...Love you, bye." After the two minute conversation, he ended the call and turned off his phone._

_"What'd she say?" I asked. He looked a little too relaxed to have just gotten off of the phone with his mum, who would potentially set him on fire for piercing his skin._

_"They went out because they didn't know when I'd be coming back. She said they'll be back by tomorrow."_

_"Are you relieved?"_

_"A little. Do you really think she'll be upset?" he questioned. I shook my head._

_"No, I think she'll be more surprised than anything. She might still yell at you and give you a ten minute long lecture of why it was a bad idea, but I don't think she'll be angry with you," I explained. This caused him to poke out his bottom lip and open his arms wide._

_I walked into them, and he encase me in him, resting his head in top of mine. It was silent in the house for a few minutes before he spoke again._

_"I'm scared," he confessed._

_"Don't be. It's going to be okay," I told him. He huffed above me and took his head off of mine._

_"Stop." He slid out from behind me and started heading for the staircase to go to his room._

_"What?" I didn't know what he was talking about because I hadn't done anything. I was just trying to make him feel better._

_"I want to kiss you, but I'm not allowed," he whined, still pouting. I laughed at his neediness, and he rolled his eyes at me._

_"Luke, you can kiss me. We just can't make out," I argued._

_"That's true, but if I kiss you, I'm taking you to bed, and we aren't coming out until in the morning," he said, voice a little deeper than normal. I looked at him, and his eyes were a few shades darker. His comment made my cheeks heat up._

_"I don't believe you," I challenged, smirking. I turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me back around, pulling me close._

_I knew he was being serious, but what I didn't know was if he was actually going to do it or not. I didn't think he was, so I didn't want to get him or me too excited._

_We also had to follow the protocol Micah have us take care of the piercing so it would heal properly. I didn't want Luke to take any chances._

_"Is that so?"_

_"Yep," I said. Putting my free hand on his chest and pushing him back a little._

_"Try me," he retaliated, pulling me back to him and pressing his lips to mine. He was a little rough, to begin with, but when he pushed his tongue past my lips, he started being more careful. Not even two seconds into the making out is when he pulled away abruptly. "Ouch!"_

_He put his hand over the site of the piercing and just held it there._

_"I told you." I playfully flicked his nose, and he rolled his eyes at me._

_"Will you get me some ice?" I nodded and went around to the freezer to get some ice out. I got a ziplock bag before going back over and putting ice into it. I then got a cloth and folded it over before handing it to Luke to put on his face. "It's still a little sore," he told me._

_"I bet." I followed him into the living room. He sat down on the couch, pulling me onto his lap, and used the remote to turn on the television and flip through the channels._

_"It's not fair," he complained childishly._

_"There's only a week and a half left, Luke. If you keep taking care of it like you're supposed to, the soreness should go away in a little over a week," I explained. I nuzzled my head into his chest as he pulled me in closer._

_"I know, but I want to have sex right now." This made me laugh._

_For the past couple of days, Luke had been incredibly frustrated. I would catch him on my bed when I was coming back from a shower. His face would be scrunched up, his eyes squeezed shut, pleasure running through his body._

_He couldn't bite on his lip to suppress his moans, so he had no choice but to let them out shakily. He would grunt, desperately trying to be quiet, and I would let him go until he was finished._

_Luke had told me that he couldn't wait until he was allowed the real thing because his hand wasn't working for him anymore. He also told me he didn't want my help because we all knew where that would end._

_"You know we can't," I said softly._

_"Yeah, but I-Fuck, I'm so horny." He hid his face in my hair._

_"There're other things we can do to take your mind off of it." I got off of his lap, causing him to groan at the loss of contact to his crotch, and I turned to face him. "Let's go out somewhere. It'll be fun," I suggested._

_"Fine, let's go before I change my mind," he said, standing as well. Luke followed me to the door so we could go find something to do until night fell._  
.

.  
.  
 ** _Thursday_**

_As soon as we got or of school, Luke drove us to his house. He had a panicked expression once we saw the garage open with his dad's car inside. His parents were home, and it was finally time to face them._

_We got out of the car and went inside. I greeted Andy first and then Liz. Luke was behind me the entire time._

_His dad noticed the piercing almost immediately, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. His feature softened once he saw how uneasy Luke seemed to be._

_"Does your mum know you have that?" he asked, nodding his head towards the piercing on his son's lip. Luke shook his head and put a finger up to his mouth, signaling for his dad to quiet down._

_We went into the kitchen, where we found his mum. She was cooking something, so she was barely paying us any attention. Once the food was done, she turned off the stove and took a seat at the island, next to Luke and me._

_"Hi, Mummy," Luke said, waving. She seemed to be studying his face, and he was trying not to shy away, to make himself seem less obvious. It was minutes before she finally responded._

_"Hello, son. May I ask you something?"_

_"Uh, sure?" he responded unsurely. I placed my hand in his to settle him. I could feel his pulse through his wrist, and it was quickening with every second that passed that Liz didn't speak._

_"What the hell is that hole doing in your lip, young man?" she asked very bluntly. He shied away from the bite in her tone before taking a deep breath and speaking._

_"I got it pierced, Mum, he mumbled._

_"With the permission of who, may I ask?"_

_"No one...but-" Liz cut him off before he could finish talking._

_"No buts, mister. You're grounded. Two weeks," she stated firmly. His head dropped, and he sighed deeply._

_He looked a little defeated. He and I both knew what Liz meant by 'grounded'. He had to come home straight after school, and Liz would turn on the tracking in his car. He wasn't allowed to leave home unless it was band or school-related for two straight weeks._

_He was lucky that she stopped making him check-in when he was grounded because he told me that was a nightmare._

_"I gave him permission," Andy spoke up, walking into the kitchen. Luke's head snapped up as he gaped at his dad, wondering if he was actually serious about taking the blame or not._

_"Then, you're grounded too," she snapped. My jaw dropped and Luke and Andy's eyes widened simultaneously. Andy put his coffee mug down and walked over to where Liz was sitting._

_"Honey, you don't have to be this way," I heard him whisper in her ear. I tried to look away at the semi-intimate exchange, but I just couldn't bring myself to._

_"You're right, I don't have to," she agreed. He smiled, and she sent him an ice-cold glare, making his smile turn into a frown. "But I want to, so I'm going to."_

_"Liz, he'll soon be eighteen. I didn't know you would be upset with me for letting him get the piercing. He probably feels bad about himself now. Please, just let him off the hook. Just this once?" Andy pleaded. Her eyes softened, and a deep sigh was released._

_"Fine, but Luke, if I find out you're doing anything you're not supposed to be, that will be the end. Andrew, you're still grounded," she compromised. Luke turned to me and winked, making me laugh._

_"Thanks, Mummy. I love you," he said excitedly, standing up. He kissed her on the cheek and hugged his dad, more than happy that his parents weren't too upset with him. "I love you too, Dad. Thank you." He sent his dad a wink also before grabbing my hand and pulling me up. "Guys, we're going to hang out with the boys. I'll be back in a few hours."_

_"Alright. Be careful, Luke," Liz told him._

_"I will, bye!" He pulled me by my hand out of the door and all the way to his car._

_"Luke, the boys didn't invite us to anything," I laughed._

_"I know."_

_"Then, why did you te-" I was cut off by Luke's lips against my own. I gasped for air, being caught off guard a little, but I soon relaxed. A familiar string of butterflies went crazy in the pit of my stomach, and it felt like a fire had been ignited on my lips._

_He pulled away a few seconds later, a smile prominent on his face. "So, I could do that."_

_"You're such a dork," I responded to his cheesy line. He opened my car door so I could get in, and he went around to get in himself. Once we were settled, he started the car and pulled out of his driveway. "I can call Cal and Michael to see if they're free," I suggested._

_"Yeah, they're at Michael's house. That's where we're going," he informed me._

_I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers together. I was more than happy we were finally starting to find our rhythm in this relationship, and it felt great to be done with all of the rough patches._  
.  
.  
.  
 ** _*End of Flashback*_**

**Present**

We had a week left before we were out of school for the holidays, and I couldn't be more excited. Luke had been planning a date on the boardwalk for the first part, but he said that much of his break would be spent sleeping with me in his arms.

Christmas was one of my favorite holidays, and for us to have no school during was just an added bonus to why that time of year was so great. I felt so fortunate to have family and friends to spend the holiday with, who were such great company.

One exceptional difference to this year would be that I had a boyfriend, and I wanted to get him the best gift imaginable. The boys and I have always gotten each other gifts, so it wasn't that different, but the gifts were usually small. It would be a band t-shirt or an album, but this year, for Luke, I wanted to go all out on his gift.

Michael's parents usually had a small party that we were all invited to, and Calum's parents had a brunch the next day. Luke and I's families would collaborate and host a dinner. It was very light-hearted, just a time to enjoy each other's company during the holidays.

I was so excited about everything, and it seemed like time couldn't move any slower.

Through my sleep, I heard a soft calming tone, followed by shifting next to me on the bed I was sharing with Luke. We were at my house because we fell asleep doing homework. He woke me up in the middle of the night so we could properly get ready for bed, and once we were done, he snuggled me closed until we both fell asleep again.

When the shifting stopped, I opened my eyes, and I was met with the darkness of my room. When my eyes adjusted, I saw Luke walking towards the door. I grabbed my phone off of my nightstand to check the time, and I saw that it was a little past six-thirty a.m.

I sat up and turned on the lamp on my nightstand, and Luke looked behind him.

"Good morning, baby," he said, his voice husky and a little deeper than usual. His hair was slightly messy, and he looked tired.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" I asked, getting out of bed as well. I stretched and ran a hand through my hair, which was surprisingly not tangled.

"Surprisingly well considering I only went to sleep about three hours ago," he replied, laughing a little at the end. He opened his arms, inviting me in, and I gladly walked over to him. He encased me in a tight hug, his body heat radiating off of him and warming me up. "I'm about to go to the bathroom to start getting ready for school," he spoke after a couple of minutes passed.

"Okay, I'm going to pick out something to wear, and then I need to shower," I told him.

"I love you."

"And I love you," I replied. He kissed the top of my head and left the room shortly after.

I went to my drawers, and I found some black skinny jeans. I got a white t-shirt and a pair of black converse out of my closet, and I laid them out on my bed. I grabbed the towel that was hanging on the back of my door, and I headed to the bathroom.

Luke was in there brushing his teeth, a towel wrapped around his waist. His body was glistening with water, and his hair was wet. He looked like he was in his own little world, oblivious to everything around him.

I went over to the shower, and I turned the water on. It got hot pretty quickly, but that was probably because Luke had just gotten out of the shower. By the time it warmed, Luke had already left the bathroom.

I brushed my teeth, and once I was done, I took off my clothes and hopped in the shower. I bathed and washed my hair quickly before getting out. I wrapped the towel around myself and walked out of the bathroom and back to my bedroom.

Luke was already dressed when I got back, wearing all black. He'd used my hairdryer to dry his hair, and it was styled upwards. He always looked great, but it was something about him wearing all black that made me weak in the knees.

He left the room, telling me he was going downstairs to find something to eat. I took this time to start getting dressed. First, I dried my hair, and then, I found some undergarments to put on.

As I was about to put on my pants, Luke walked back into my room. His jaw dropped slightly, and his face went bright red. He cleared his throat before exiting the room again.

"Luke, where are you going?" I called to him. I went to the door and opened it to see Luke at least halfway down the hallway.

"I can't stay in there."

"Why not?"

"Because you're barely wearing anything," he whined, turning back around and making his way back to my room.

"Luke, you've seen me in nothing before," I laughed. That only made his face turn a darker shade of red. He stepped inside and stood by the side of my bed.

"Yeah, but you're so beautiful, and we have school." He pouted, and I walked closer to where he was. He was basically chewing on his bottom lip, the side that wasn't pierced. He was nervous, I could tell, but I didn't know why.

Once I was standing directly in front of him, I ran one of my hands through his hair, and he basically shuddered under my touch. He seemed really sensitive for some reason this morning.

"What do those two things have to do with-" Luke was quick to cut me off with his lips against mine.

There wasn't any tongue involved, just a simple, but deep, kiss. I decided to use his sensitivity to my advantage. My hand traveled down to his lower region, and I started palming him through his jeans.

He let out a low grunt before saying, "Kate, stop." I didn't listen though. This went on for a few more seconds. "I'm serious. You're not going to like what I do to you if you keep doing that," he reiterated, his lips had parted from mine, but his face was dangerously close to mine, our lips less than a centimeter away.

"I don't think it would be that bad." I placed my hand back against him, and I started moving my hand in circles at varying speeds. He started to grow against my hand, causing me to smile. He wasn't about to let me continue my teasing, so he grabbed my wrist to stop my movements.

"Well, you're highly mistaken," he said, his voice low and his eyes a darker shade of blue than normal. I smirk covered my face. I thought that whatever he was going to do wouldn't be so bad.

"Try me," I stated boldly. That was all he needed. He leaned in slightly, his lips dominating mine. He still didn't use any tongue though, because of his lip.

He turned us around and gently laid me back on my bed, placing his crotch against me. Luke didn't move or anything. He just let his bulge grow larger against my core.

A few minutes passed of just kissing, and I was convinced that that was all there was to his little threat. That was until his hand attached itself to me, his fingers circling my core. I couldn't help but let a moan leave my lips.

"Quiet. You have to be quiet," Luke said with his lips still on mine. He ended the kiss shortly after to bring his mouth to my ear. "You wouldn't want your parents to hear. Would you?" he whispered. Before I answered, he used that as an opportunity to rub even harder, making my "No," come out as an even louder moan. "Quiet, baby."

I could feel how drenched my underwear was, and my face felt hot. My eyebrows scrunched together, trying to concentrate on not making any noises. Luke left open-mouthed kisses all across my jaw and neck. Without warning, he moved my underwear to the side and plunged a finger inside me, quickly adding another after a few pumps.

This continued for a few minutes, him pumping and curling his fingers upwards. I was so close to the edge by then. I was trying my best to be quiet, but small, choppy moans escaped my lips every so often. I could feel my walls tightening around his fingers, and just as I was about to let go, he removed his fingers and stood up.

I was panting uncontrollably, and he just shot me a wink before leaving the room. A few minutes later, he came back, and I was still laying in my bed.

"I'll be downstairs eating breakfast, and then, I'm going out to the car. Just come down whenever you're ready," he instructed. I raised up to nod at him, and he left the room once more.

I got up and changed my underwear before putting my clothes on. I threw my hair up into a ponytail, and I grabbed my phone off of my nightstand. I turned the lights out in my room and left to go downstairs.

I grabbed something quick for breakfast, and I went outside to meet Luke in his car. It was already started, and once I got in, he pulled off. His hand took its usual place on my upper thigh, and I sighed deeply.

I was feeling really sensitive since he took me so close to the edge and stopped all of a sudden. It didn't seem like he was done because he started moving his hand closer and closer to where I needed him.

He teased the area all the way until we got to school, leaving me hot and bothered. I had to pretend like I was just fine, when I actually wasn't, for the entire day. Then, the boys invited us to Calum's house to hang out, so I knew I wasn't going to get off any time soon.

Once we were done at Calum's house, he decided he didn't want to come back to my house and he wanted to stay home for the night. I knew he was doing this all on purpose.

That night, I took an extra shower because I had sweat so much throughout the day, and I got ready for bed like normal. Right as I was about to close my eyes, my phone started ringing.

It was Luke trying to FaceTime.

I accepted, and when the call connected and I saw his face, he was laying down in his bed already.

" _Hi, baby!_ " he said cheerfully, his smile showing all of his teeth. He was laying in a pile of pillows with his covers pulled all the way up to his chin. A fluttering, that I'd now grown accustomed to, occurred in the pit of my stomach.

"Hi, Luke," I replied. I smiled, but my voice was a little off. He frowned, noticing my tone quickly.

" _What's wrong?_ "

"Nothing, I'm all good," I responded quickly, but he wasn't buying it.

" _I'm serious, Kate. Tell me,_ " he prodded. I loved how he could read my expressions and make out how I was feeling through my tone, but sometimes I just didn't want him to know.

I didn't know how to express how I was feeling to him, and that was my problem. I wanted him to know that I needed him, but I didn't want him to worry too much about it.

I knew he would try to come to my house and take care of me, but it was too much of a risk, especially with my parent's home. We were going to have to wait until we had some serious alone time, and I was going to have to be okay with that.

"I-I need you, and I want to cuddle," I sighed, causing his frown to grow bigger. He shuffled a little bit before sitting up, the covers sliding off of him and exposing his bare chest.

" _I know how you feel, baby girl. Do you want me to come over?_ "

"No, don't. I'll be fine. Plus, my parents are here," I explained. I felt bad because he still wasn't smiling. This entire call consisted of him with a frown on his face, and I didn't particularly enjoy that.

" _We don't have to, you know, do anything. We can just cuddle,_ " he suggested, but I shook my head again. I didn't want to set my emotions up like that. "What do you want then?"

"Right now, I want you, but I can't have that. I guess we can just talk." It was pretty late, but I couldn't sleep.

" _Okay, but Kate_ ," he called, biting his lip. I rose my eyebrows at the same time that he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes?"

" _It is so hot in my room right now,_ " he complained. I could tell though because his cheeks were tinted pink and there was a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead.

"Get up and turn on the air conditioning, Luke," I giggled. He laughed but shook his head.

" _It's on, but it's still hot in here,_ " he said. He shifted a bit before resting his head against the headboard on his bed and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Okay, I'm confused." In the midst of my confusion, Luke flipped the camera so it wasn't on his face anymore. I had an overview of his room, but mostly the space of his bed. "Luke, what are you-"

I was cut off, but not by his voice. Luke threw the covers off of himself, revealing a very hard and large bulge confined by his tight boxer briefs.

" _I need you here right now. I need to feel you, but as you said, we can't. I guess my hand is just going to have to do for now._ " The camera was still focused on his rock-hard erection. Just before it flipped back to his face, I saw his hand rub over himself, and I heard a noise between a low grunt and a whine leave his lips.

"Luke, please stop," I begged, my breathing becoming slightly labored. I started shifting around under my blanket, an agonizing sensitivity resting between my legs making me hot and uncomfortable.

" _Your hand feels so much better than mine, babe,_ " he proclaimed. His face was scrunched up, and his body seemed to be very tense. I was contemplating just hanging up on him because I couldn't handle watching, considering the state I was in.

"Luke," I sighed, trying to keep my composure, but he was definitely not listening to me.

" _Mmm, fuck,_ " he moaned. The air in my room literally felt thick by this point, and it was starting to get harder to breathe with every second that passed.

"I hate you," I told him playfully. What he was doing was not fair, and I couldn't say I hated watching him, but I hated us not being able to do anything about each other.

" _I love you,_ " he replied, his eyes screwing shut almost immediately after. I could tell by the look on his face that he was close.

"No, I actually hate you. Bye," I said, hanging up quickly and slamming my phone down beside me. If I were to watch him when he got off, I wouldn't be able to sleep in my own bed tonight. I didn't care about how much trouble I would be in for taking my parents' car keys. I just wanted, no, I needed relief.

After a few minutes of trying to calm myself down, my phone buzzed next to me. I picked it up, and it buzzed again. I checked my lock screen to see two texts from Luke.

I unlocked my phone, and I quickly texted him back, which erupted into a lot of banter.

{lukey}

'soon (sex emoji)'

'I love you, baby. Sleep tight (kissy face)'

'I still hate you'

'(sad face)'

'I'm just kidding (laughy face)'

'(Unamused face)'

'(kissy face)'

'(hand)'

'Luke'

'I hate you'

'but I love you'

I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, so I just tried to stay cool. After a few more texts, he seemed a little upset, so I just decided to go to sleep for the night.

'and I still hate you'

'Lukeeee'

'Nope, goodnight'

'(broken heart)'

I pulled the covers over myself and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

I was right on the verge when another message came. I didn't want to check but my curiosity got the best of me, so I turned on my phone and looked at the message from my lock screen.

{lukey}

'I'm just messing with you (uncomfy face) I love you, Katherine (heart going woob and angel) sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning (blushy kissy face w/ no heart and red heart)'

I finally fell asleep about a minute later, a smile etched into my face and an untamable burn in the pit of my stomach.


	45. Relax

Kate's POV

**One Week Later**

The bell rang, and it was like rush hour on a Friday night in Sydney. There were people scurrying out of the door like caged birds being set free, and it was just a bunch of chaos. Since Ashton and I were in the same class, we decided to just wait until it calmed down a little to leave.

Before we left lunch, Luke said he would wait for me in the car, and we would go to his house. He was planning to hang out with me for a while before dropping me off at home on the way to get his brothers from the airport. He never really talked about them much since they went away for college. They were really fun before they left though.

I saw them every year at Christmas time, and it was really refreshing. Since I was an only child, they were really protective over me, especially when we all went out together. It was mainly them I went to when I had major problems and when I was dealing with things I didn't feel like I could tell my parents.

I would usually go to Jack, but if he wasn't available, Ben always welcomed me with open arms. I didn't know how they would feel about me dating Luke and vice versa. I could only hope that they were okay with it.

When we kissed for the first time, I was in tears at Luke's house later that night. Both mine and the Hemmings' parents were away on business, so I stayed with them for the week. Luke was acting all strange, and he wouldn't talk to me. It was really getting to my head so I excused myself to the guest bedroom I was staying in.

After a while, there was a knock on my door and walked Jack. He'd asked me what was wrong, and I just spilled. By the end of the conversation, I was a sobbing mess while Jack protectively held me in his arms. He was comforting me in more of a big brother way, and I was very grateful for him at the time.

Once I had calmed down, I went back down and finished the movie. Luke and I didn't make any efforts to speak to each other for the next week.

I was really sad when they went away for college, and the only time I really got to see them anymore was during the holidays. It was always a great time when they did come back because they were like the brothers I never got.

As soon as the crowd cleared out, Ashton stood from his seat. He put his hand out for me to grab so he could pull me up, and I gladly took it. I stood up, and we headed out the door.

"Do you know what you and Luke are doing later?" he asked as we got to the front of the school building.

"We're just going to hang out for a little bit. Ben and Jack are coming in from college this evening, so he's going to take me back to my house so he and his parents can go get them," I explained. Ashton nodded, and a silence settled over us.

"Why aren't you going with them?"

"Because they don't know about Luke and me yet. We're waiting to tell them." Uneasiness set itself up in my gut as I tried not to think too much about it. Luke's brother's opinion of us being together was really important to me, and it would hurt a little if they didn't think we were right for each other.

"But you've gone to the airport with them before, right?" he questioned, and I nodded. "Then why does it matter now?"

"We're just trying to lay low until we decide the time is right." Luke and I agreed that we wanted them to get settled at home before we dropped the bomb that was our relationship on them.

"That makes sense, I guess," he said. Silence took over again until we finally reached the front of the school. Ashton held the door open for me to go first, and we said our goodbyes to each other once we were outside.

I headed directly for Luke's car, and he was waiting inside for me just as he promised.

"Hi baby," he greeted, a bright smile plastered across his face. I shut the door and put on my seatbelt before replying.

"Hi, Luke. How was the rest of your day?" I asked. He shrugged while driving out of the student parking lot.

"It was okay, but it would've been better if you were there. Like, I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time, but you're here now, so I'm fine," he told me. Giddiness surged throughout me when I heard his words, and I knew that if he wasn't driving, I would've attacked him with a giant hug.

"Aw, you're so cute," I gushed. He turned to look at me for a quick second, sending a wink, followed by a smile, my way. "I love you," I said to him seriously.

"I love you more," he challenges, using his free hand to grab mine. He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it before interlocking our fingers. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked me.

"I don't really mind what we do. As long as we get to hang out, anything is cool."

"Great," he said excitedly. "We're going to go to my house and cuddle and take a nap, and when we wake up, we can cuddle more until it's time for me to go to the airport." His tone was light and playful, having almost the same resemblance to a child who was just given their favorite cookie.

"Sounds like a plan," I giggle. "When are we going to tell them?"

"I was thinking about next Tuesday. Mum is cooking for them, and she says that you're invited. I thought it was a perfect time," he explained.

"I'm excited to see them."

"Me too. I miss them a lot. Even though they used to play all of their practical jokes on me, I miss them," he confessed. His tone was soft and he was speaking a little lower.

I could tell by his facial expression that he really did miss his big brothers, and maybe that's why he never really talked about them. I guess it made him sad to know that he wouldn't be able to see them every day like he once did.

"Just a few more hours, Luke," I said softly as he pulled into his driveway. Once he parked, Luke turned off the car and took the keys out of the ignition. He untwined our hands and opened his door to get out.

I followed suit and trailed behind him until we got into his house. We kicked our shoes off and placed them on the mat near the door and we headed towards the stairs.

On the way there, we saw his dad in the living room, so we stopped to speak.

"Hey Dad," Luke said, waving.

"Hi, Andy." He turned and looked away from the television and greeted us just the same. He asked us some questions about school and went over the flight schedule set for Ben and Jack to come home, just so everyone was on the same page.

"Where's Mum?" Luke asked him.

"She had to go to the office to take care of some business, but she should be back within the next few hours, just in time for us to leave," he explained. Luke nodded in understanding.

We said our goodbyes to Luke's dad before taking the stairs leading to his room. Luke closed the door behind us and went straight to his dresser, grabbing a pair of sweatpants out. He changed quickly and turned on his television before laying down on his bed.

He opened his arms wide, inviting me into them. I walked over to his bed and crawled onto it and into Luke's arms. He immediately encased me and let out a sigh of content.

He grabbed the remote off of his bedside table and flipped the channel until he found what he wanted to watch. He decided on the movie High School Musical.

It was literally the best trilogy of all time, and we used to watch it a lot a few years ago. Calum was just as obsessed with it as I was.

"These movies are so great," Luke said. He reached down to the footboard of his bed and grabbed a blanket, draping it over our bodies.

It was sort of dark in his room because his curtains shut out most of the sunlight, but I was okay with that because it set just the right tone.

"I agree." Luke pulled me a little tighter to him. I could feel how tense he was from behind me, his body like a wooden plank supporting my back. "Luke, what's wrong?" I asked finally, after a few minutes passed and he was still stiff against me.

"What?" he questioned, his toned revealing his confusion.

"You're tensed up back there," I explained. "Do you want to tell me what's up?" I turned to face him and found just what I expected. His eyebrows were knitted together, and there was a slight frown covering his face.

I reached my hand up and smoothed the crease between his brows, to where it looked like all of his worries were gone. He smiled at the gesture, and that's what took care of his frown.

"I'm just nervous, that's all," he answered, his hand traveling to and resting on my waist.

"Why? You've known them for your entire life." He started to move his thumb back and forth against my shirt and chewing on his bottom lip.

"Yeah, but I don't know what they're going to think about us being together," he tried. I could see the worry and anxiety set themselves up in his brain, and I knew that all I could do was try to calm him down. 

"Luke, they've known me for years. I don't think they're going to make too big of a deal out of this," I said softly. "Honestly, I think everyone saw this coming, including them." I wave my hand between the little space there is between us, causing him to laugh light-heartedly.

"Were we that obvious?" he asked, smile prominent on his face. I nodded, making him burst into a fit of giggles.

"Everything is going to be fine. They aren't going to think any lower of you just because we're together, and if they do, we can just play a massive prank on them," I suggested once he'd calmed down. I placed my free hand behind his neck, sliding it up into the hair on the back of his head.

"Okay, I'll stop worrying about it," he agreed, making it my turn to smile. I somehow knew that everything would fall into place. We just had to sit back and enjoy the ride, stop over analyzing every aspect of our lives and just switch it to automatic.

"Thank you. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. You always know how to make me feel better," he admitted, his eyes locking with mine.

"I would say I've gotten pretty good at it," I boasted playfully. He rolled his eyes but followed it with a smile.

He leaned in a little closer before saying, "And that, my love, is one of the many, many reasons why I love you." He tilted in more, and I met him halfway so our lips connected.

There was nothing sexual at all about the kiss, but I could feel the love radiating off of him, and it made me feel all warm and gooey on the inside.  
.  
.  
.  
I woke up with Luke's head on my stomach and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, clinging as if I were going to slip away while he was sleeping. He was lightly snoring, but he hummed in his sleep when I ran my hand through his hair.

I grabbed my phone from next to me, and I checked the time. There was about an hour before the boys' flight was due to land, so that meant it was time for Luke to wake up from his nap.

After a couple of minutes of kissing, we returned to watching our movie. Luke fell asleep about halfway through the first one, and I did shortly after him. It was now toward the end of the second movie, and the Wildcats were getting ready to sing every day.

I let a few passed before I decided to try and wake Luke.

"Luke," I called to him softly, running my hands through his hair again. It didn't take him long to respond. He slowly woke up, stirring a little bit first and then finally untangling himself from me.

Luke lifted his head off of my stomach and sent a warm smile in my direction before sitting up completely. He rubbed his eyes to wipe the sleepiness away and a yawn followed after.

Unexpectedly, he fell back onto his bed and spread his arms out wide. I laughed at his behavior and crawled over to where he was lying.

"I'm tired," he whined, causing me to giggle.

"You just woke up," I countered.

"Yeah, but I need more sleep." He pointed his arms out toward me and I moved closer to him. I knew he'd had a long week and that by now he'd be ready to sleep the day away, but I wouldn't want him to miss out on getting his brothers from the airport.

"It's about time for you guys to leave to get Ben and Jack though," I reminded him. He nodded but groaned at the same time. He started making grabby hands at me.

"I know. I just need five more minutes," he said, still reaching out for me. I finally gave in and just climbed on top of him. I lowered myself down a little and he pulled me the rest of the way until my lips pressed against his. He smiled into the kiss and sighed in content as soon as our lips touched.

I parted my lips to allow his tongue access to my mouth, deepening the kiss. He slipped his tongue in and quickly found mine, our tongues moving together at the perfect tempo.

He was so excited the day he kissed me and his lip didn't hurt anymore. Luke literally tried to keep me in his room all day just so we could make out, but we didn't want to risk the chance of his mum catching us. We still ended up making out for almost an hour because I wanted to at least compromise a little bit.

A couple minutes passed, and Luke rolled us over so he was topping, never breaking the kiss. He pulled away first but left short and sweet kisses on my lips instead. Every time he touched mine, my stomach fluttered and my heart started beating faster.

He moved to my jaw, placing a kiss there before leaving one on my neck and then my collarbone. Once Luke was finished, he got off of me and sat up.

"I'm awake now," he proclaimed. I laughed and sat up not long after, just as he was getting off of his bed.

"I see. Are you ready to go now?" I asked him. He nodded and checked how he looked in the mirror, trying to fix his slightly disheveled hair. It didn't seem to be working or for him.

"Ugh, my hair," he complained, still using his fingers to try to fix it. His hands were frantic, and he was groaning because it wouldn't do what he wanted it to.

I could tell he was starting to get worked up again, so I needed to calm him down.

I walked up behind him and wrapped my hands around his waist, catching him off guard. I placed a single kiss in between his shoulder blades, and I felt him relax under my touch.

I knew Luke and that he had the tendency to get anxious about the really small stuff. It didn't have to be major at all, but as long as it was something or someone important to him, anything that could potentially go wrong with it is what he worried about.

It really showed how invested in things he was and how he really cared about the things and people he loved.

"Luke, relax. Okay?" He nodded. I reached around him and grabbed one of his beanies from the top of his dresser. "Here," I said, passing it to him. "It's nothing a beanie won't fix."

He put it on quickly while I slid my hands under his shirt, rubbing up and down his sides. Goosebumps raised everywhere I touched him, and I cautiously slipped my hands past the waistband of his sweats. Luke sucked in a sharp breath before grabbing both wrists, stopping my advance.

"Baby, not right now," he said, holding my hands in their place. "If we start, I won't be able to stop, and I have to leave in a few minutes." He slowly pulled my hands out of his pants and turned toward me.

"Well, what can I do to get you to relax?" It took him a few seconds to answer, him probably going over a variety of options in his head.

"I guess I'm going to be nervous at least a little, but I'll be fine. I promise," he stated. Luke stretched his pinky out to me and we locked them, sealing the deal. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead before grabbing my hand and making his way out of his bedroom, turning out the lights, and shutting the door behind him.

We went downstairs where his mum and dad were waiting for him. I said hi to Liz and gave her a quick hug.

"Mum, I'm going to take her home, and I'll meet you guys at the airport," he said to Liz.

"Alright, we'll let you know if they get in before you get there," she told him. He nodded, I told his parents goodbye and we headed out of the door.

Once we got to his car, he opened my door before going around to get in on his side. He started the engine and pulled it in the driveway and onto the road.

It took us less than ten minutes to get to my house, and when we got there, Luke parked the car. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened my door, Luke following behind me.

I wasn't even two feet away from his car when he grabbed my wrist and swiftly pulled me back to him, turning me around in the process.

"You know I love you so much, right?" he asked, his forehead resting against mine. My heart was beating so fast, I swore he could feel it through my wrists.

"Yeah, and I love you," I responded quickly, causing him to smile.

"I don't want you to ever forget that. Okay?" I nodded. Luke leaned in a little bit more, his lips barely grazing mine before pulling away. "I'll see you tomorrow, but I'll probably call you later tonight," he said.

He grabbed my hand and walked me to the door. I let myself in, and he kissed me on the cheek before turning on his heels and walking back to his car.


	46. Airport

Luke's POV

As I drove further away from Kate's house and closer to the airport, the nervous butterflies in the pit of my stomach continued to grow. Anxiousness started to consume every single one of my thoughts, making my mind run a thousand miles a minute and my hands shake involuntarily against the steering wheel.

I didn't know why I was so nervous in the first place. I already knew my brothers' thoughts on Kate. They loved her like she was their sister. I was the same, or so I thought.

My love for Kate had always been platonic up until I was about fifteen, that's when I started to feel a little different. It seemed like she got more beautiful with every day that passed by, and I couldn't help the heat that rushed to my cheeks when she looked at me or the tingling that shot down my spine every time she said my name.

I kissed her for the first time when I was fifteen, and the feeling it gave me scared the life out of my living soul. I ran away from it, partly because I didn't know what that feeling was, but I was also scared.

I didn't feel like I could tell anybody because my mom would set fire to my ass for kissing before twenty. I thought my friends would make fun of me, and my brothers would obviously be no help. I somehow knew they would be all mushy about me liking someone, and I wasn't going to put myself through all the teasing and subtle hint drops around Kate. No thank you.

I just chose to ignore it, and at this point, I have to admit that it wasn't the best choice that I've ever made, but it worked for me. I ignored those feelings until I couldn't ignore them anymore, and when they hit even stronger is when I distanced myself from her.

That's when she and Calum became the best of friends, and for a second, I thought their relationship was stronger than ours had ever been. For some reason, I always had a feeling that she would choose him over me, and that scared me even more.

When we made the deal about the lessons is when I felt some relief, but I still felt bad. It seemed like the only way I could secure 'us', the only way I could make up for all the time we lost when I was trying to figure out my heart with my head. That plan had holes in it, to begin with, and it definitely didn't work out the way I wanted it to.

She still found a guy, who wasn't me, and she started hanging out with him while I was giving her those lessons. Also, the entire thing was based on us not having any feelings towards each other and I was stupid enough to come up with it knowing that my pull to her got stronger with every day that passed.

I was lucky enough for them to end things with him after roughly two and a half months, but there was still this underlying guilt in me about what I was hiding from her. I knew I should've told her before, but as our relationship progressed, I didn't think it mattered that much. Now, I'm starting to think otherwise.

I'd thought about telling her a few times, but ultimately deciding against it, saving the secret for later. I didn't think it would change anything, but I felt like she needed to know.

All of my thoughts seemed to calm me down for most of the drive, that is until I mindlessly pulled into the entrance of the airport. I saw my parents walking in while I was trying to find a place to park, signaling that I was right on time.

Once I found a spot, I parked the car, turned it off, and got out. It took about two minutes to get inside since I'd parked so far back. To be fair, it was pretty crowded so I only had a few spaces to choose from.

I found my parents after a couple of minutes of walking deeper into the airport. I assumed they were headed towards the terminal Ben and Jack were meant to be picked up at.

I convinced myself that everything was going to be fine and that I should just stop overthinking it. That didn't seem to work though because I could feel the blood pumping behind my ears, thoughts swimming inside my head of all of the worst possible case scenarios.

I caught up to my parents before my adrenaline rush could get too out of hand.

"Hey," I said, walking up next to my mum.

"You're right on time, Luke," she told me.

"Do you know if they've landed yet?"

"No, I don't think they have. Jack said he would call when they did," she informed me. That was great for me because the closer we got to the terminal, the faster my anxiousness started to return. I needed to be calmed down, and it had to be before they came, or else they would know almost immediately that something was up.

"Oh okay," I responded flatly. After a couple more minutes of walking, I spoke again. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back."

"Alright, we'll be in terminal seven whenever you're done," my dad said. I nodded in response before taking a detour to the nearest secluded area.

I didn't actually need to go to the restroom, I needed to call her. I knew that she would be the only person able to calm me down at the moment, and for a split second, I wished I'd brought her here with me. I quickly shut the thought down though because that wasn't a good idea if our plan was to wait to tell them.

Once I found an open space, off to the side from all of the business, I took my phone out of my pocket. I quickly dialed Kate's cell number, and I pressed the phone to my ear. Eight rings went by before I got her voicemail.

Sighing in frustration, I called back. The line rang and rang, and I received voicemail once again. That's when I started to panic. It was almost like I couldn't stay in one spot. I tried sitting, but my leg started bouncing up and down. When I stood, it seemed like I couldn't stop pacing.

By this time, I'd called her at least six times already. My palms were starting to sweat, and I could feel how damp my hair was as I took the beanie off and ran a hand through it. I decided to call once more before I started to properly freak out.

I dialed her number for the last time and was lucky enough to have her pick up on the first ring. I sighed in relief, all of my racing thoughts coming to a stop with just the sound of her voice on the other side of the call.

" _Luke? What's wrong?_ " she questioned immediately. She must've seen all of her missed calls from me.

"Hey," I breathed deeply. I was still feeling a little uneasy, my breathing labored as I tried to calm myself down. "I just...um, I just needed to hear your voice. I was starting to worry because you weren't answering," I replied honestly.

" _Oh, sorry. I just got out of the shower. Are you okay?_ "

"Kind of. We're waiting for Ben and Jack to land and all that, well, my mum and dad are. I was starting to freak out, so I excused myself for a bit. I told them I was going to the bathroom." I was using two hands to hold onto my phone because that's just how bad my hands were shaking.

I wasn't nervous about seeing my brothers, they were just my brothers after all. I was nervous about their opinion of Kate and me being together. I desperately wanted them to accept the relationship, and I was hoping they didn't find it weird because we'd treated one another like we were siblings for the longest time.

It would hurt a little if they didn't think we were good together because I didn't plan on ever being away from Kate. I believed that she was it for me, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

" _Is there anything I can do to help?_ " Her voice full of worry through the receiver. I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me.

"I don't know. Maybe you could stay on the phone, just until I calm down some?" I proposed. I finally took a seat in a nearby chair, and I put my beanie back on. I could only imagine how atrocious my hair looked after all of that sweating and frantic pulling.

" _Sure, babe,_ " she agreed, warmness spreading through my body at the subtle pet name she called me. Kate used it rarely, only on some occasions. She mostly called me by my name and left all of the pet name calling to me. When she did use it though, I wasn't complaining, and she knew just when the right time was and how to say it.

"God, I'm nervous," I said to her, making her giggle.

" _Luke, don't be. It's just Ben and Jack. They're the same as they were when they came home six months ago. It'll be just fine._ " I sighed for the hundredth time today. This was really stressing me out.

"I know, but we weren't a thing six months ago. I'm just afraid of their reaction. I just want it to be a good one," I practically whined. I stood from the chair I was sat in once again, and I just paced in circles, my anxiety levels rising by the second. 

" _Don't focus on that right now. Just enjoy the first few moments you have with them once you see them again, and we'll start worrying about their opinion when it comes time to tell them. Promise me?_ " she consoled. I know she was trying her best, and it was only right for me to take her advice and just calm down, especially for the sake of me enjoying myself.

"I promise," I agreed, making my way back to the main part of the airport. I remembered my dad saying something about terminal seven, so I headed there.

" _Deep breaths, Luke._ "

I started doing as she said, taking deep breaths the closer I got to terminal seven. The room seemed to return to its normal size, not the closed-off trap I was feeling a few minutes ago.

"I love you, Kate," I stated, sighing afterward. I honestly didn't know what I'd do without her. I seemed to be a hundred times calmer now than I was a few minutes ago, and it was all thanks to her. Maybe I should've listened and taken up on her offer to relax me before I left. Now that I think about it, we probably could've made it quick.

I looked up, and I could see my parents sitting down where I assumed terminal seven was located, so I walked in that direction.

" _I love you too._ " I could hear shuffling on her end, which meant she was probably moving around. " _If you're not hanging out with them tomorrow, we can do something maybe?_ " Even though I couldn't see her, I knew she was smiling, and I knew exactly what she meant.

I had to remind myself that I was in public before I let my hormones take complete control of me. Although I was full-on blushing, I could easily come up with an excuse as to why.

"Yeah, I'll let you know. I think my mum's making lunch, and you're probably invited so I guess those are the plans," I explained. I was only about a hundred feet from where my parents were now, and that meant it was time to wrap up the call.

" _Okay, I'll see you tomorrow._ "

"Tonight," I countered. Waiting until tomorrow to see her would probably drive me crazy. I needed to see her tonight, and not necessarily to have sex, but just to see her face.

" _What?_ " she asked, most likely confused.

"I'm stopping by yours on my way home." By now, I made it to my parents, and it looked like they were still waiting.

" _Oh, alright. I'll see you in a little while then. I love you,_ " she said softly.

"I love you. Bye," I responded. I took the phone away from my ear and ended the call before taking a seat next to my parents.

"Ben texted me about a minute ago saying they just landed, so they should be out any second now," my mum told me. I nodded, and she rose an eyebrow at me. I knew there was no way I could hide anything from her because she could read me like an open book. "What's the matter?"

"What are you talking about?" The was no point trying to hide my emotions, but I didn't want to give anything away until I knew exactly what she meant.

"You're all red in the face, and you can't sit still. Are you okay?" Mum reiterated. I just nodded, not trusting my voice. "You know you can tell me what's going on right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then, tell me what's wrong," she prodded. She always found some way to get the truth out of me. That's why I was praying that she never asked me anything about sex because I was already super transparent as it was.

"I'm just nervous," I confessed, deeply sighing afterward.

"To see your brothers?"

"Yeah."

"How come?" she questioned, trying her best to get to the bottom of the situation. I just shrugged, I didn't want to tell her the real reason, but she would find out sooner or later so there was no point.

"Because they don't know that-" I was cut off by my dad standing. I turned around and looked toward the direction he was focused, and I could see both of my brothers walking to where we were, suitcases rolling behind them.

I stood, along with my mum and dad, welcoming as they made their way over to us. A smile took over my face as the guys I hadn't seen in half a year came closer and closer.

Jack came straight to me, and Ben went to my parents.

"Luke! How've you been?" he asked excitedly. I'd grown a little since the last time we saw each other, so I was a few inches taller than him now.

"Good, I've been good. What about you how's school?"

"Eh, you know how I feel about school, but my grades are decent. That's all that matters," he replied lightheartedly, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, I know. What about Ben?"

"We all know he's a goody-two-shoes, always trying to one-up me with his straight A's, but it's fine. I know that's just how he is," Jack said, making me laugh even more, but nod as well because I knew it was true.

"Well, I'm glad to have you guys back for a few weeks," I told him honestly.

A smile spread across his face and he pulled me into a hug. "Aw," he gushed, just like I knew he would. He pulled away but kept his hands on my shoulders, scanning me from head to toe. "You've gotten taller," he pointed out.

"Yeah, just a little." He pulled me back in for a hug and tried to lift me off of the ground. I panicked at first but composed myself as he spun me and set me back on my feet.

"We're going to have so much fun," he said, waving Ben over. "Look at how tall Luke is now."

"Woah, mate you're like a tower. Since when?" Ben questioned.

"Over the last few months, I guess." He squinted while looking at my face like he was inspected me or something. My anxiety started to kick in for like the tenth time tonight, but I had to remind myself to take deep breaths and try not to freak out.

"There's something different about you, but I can't quite put my finger on it," he said slowly. Heat rushed to my cheeks while Jack joined in on his observing.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, but I shook my head, shutting down any assumptions before they even started to form inside their heads.

After a couple more minutes of taking, Jack slowly retracted from our little group to go say hi to Mum and Dad while I carried in a short conversation with my oldest older brother. Once everyone was done with their greetings and short catch-ups, we were about ready to leave.

Mum grabbed her camera from off of the seat she was sitting in and hailed a random person walking by in the airport.

"Hey, excuse me," Mum called to the thin girl. She looked to be around fourteen, but the glasses she was wearing, made her look highly intelligent. She had a camera hanging around her neck, so I assumed she knew what she was doing.

The girl turned around, large eyes alert as she responded to my mum's call.

"Yes?"

"If it's not a bother, would you take a group picture of us with my camera? I'd do it myself, but I'd like to be included in the photo," she requested. The girl nodded with a smile, holding her hand out for Mum to give her the camera.

She passed it over to her, and the girl turned it on. My mum set us up how she wanted us to be standing. As soon as we were ready she gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Okay, I'm taking it in three, two, one," she announced, the flash going off a second later. She took a couple more after that, and she looked quite professional doing it.

When she was finished, she handed the camera back to my mum, and my mum looked at all the pictures carefully.

"These are all very lovely. Thank you so much," she praised the girl, making her smile and bow like she just finished a crowd-pleasing show.

"It was no problem," the young girl said in return. She waved to us as she walked away, a smile covering her face due to the high praising she got for the quality pictures she took of us.

"Alright, boys," Mum started, drawing attention from the four of us. "I think we should get going, and we can have a movie night when we get home, just to catch up a little," she proposed. We all cheered in agreement, but my heart wasn't completely there. It was going to be harder to wait than I thought.

"What are we going to watch?" Ben asked.

"That's up to you and Jack. You guys can pick," she said, walking back towards the entrance of the airport so we could prepare for departure. "That's when we get home though. You guys put your luggage in Dad and I's car, and you can ride with Luke."

My head snapped up at the mention of my name, and I swear my eyes were pleading with her to make different transportation arrangements. She just shook her head and gave me a 'whatever I say goes' kind of look. I huffed in agreement and trudged my way out of the airport.

Dad took their luggage when we went our separate ways, and Ben and Jack followed closely behind me on the way to my car. Once we got there, I unlocked it and we all got in. I waited for everyone's seatbelts to be buckled before I started the car and drove out of the parking lot.  
.  
.  
.  
Most of the car ride was filled with laughing and singing along to music and I felt like we had picked up right where we left off. It wasn't as awkward as I pictured it, and I was grateful for that. 

We were about ten minutes from home when I took a detour to Kate's house. I wasn't about to cancel my plans of stopping by just because my brothers were now in the car with me. I still needed to see her, but now more than before.

This raised questions though, and I mentally cursed myself for being so codependent.

"Hey, where are we going?" Jack asked from beside me. We'd made Ben sit in the back, that was the power of the younger siblings.

"I'm stopping by Kate's house before we go home. I left my charger there and my phone is about to die," I lied. Well, only half of it was a lie. My phone was on its last few percentages, but my charger was plugged up in my room next to my bed.

"Oh, Kate's house?" I nodded keeping my eyes focused on the road. "I haven't seen her in so long."

"It's only been like six months," I laughed. He only got to see her once when they visited the last time though. I guess he would be seeing more of her now that we were together, but he didn't know that yet.

"I know, but I only saw her like once the last time I was here."

"Yeah, I remember," I told him, a little bite in my voice.

"Wait," Ben interrupted. "Why's your charger at her house? You must've been there recently?" he questioned. I could see him raising an eyebrow at me through my rearview mirror.

"I was, after school actually," I clarified. His eyes widened, and I could see all of the speculations forming behind his eyes. He was just as easy to read as I was. "Ashton, Calum, Michael, and I were hanging out there before we had to come to get you guys. That's why," I fibbed again. This seemed to keep him at bay for the time being.

A few minutes later we arrived at her house. I put the car in park and got out quickly, telling my brothers that I'd be right back. I scanned the driveway, one of her parent's cars missing, meaning they were either out or one of them was away. I guess I would find out when I got inside.

I realized that I left my copy of her key in the car, so I just rang the doorbell. I was doing a pretty good job of keeping myself calm, but I was slowly losing it.

My breath was nearly stolen from me when she finally opened the door. She was smiling and subtly biting her lip. The only clothing covering her body was a sports bra and spandex pants. Her hair, which was usually pulled back if he was working out, was hanging down and framing her face.

It seemed like the words were stuck in my throat as I just stood there gaping at her. She giggled before I snapped out of it. 

"Hey," I spoke first.

"Luke, why are you being so awkward?" she asked, laughing even harder.

"Sorry," I apologized. I didn't know why I was apologizing. "I can't help it sometimes. I'm just a smol bean," I said, making her laugh even more.

"You did not just say that," she laughed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Indeed I did."

She calmed herself down a few seconds later, and her playful demeanor quickly changed to one of desire. Her eyes turned a few shades darker and she grabbed fistfuls of my shirt on either side and pulled me to her, closing the front door with her foot.

As soon as it shut, she let go of my shirt and cupped my cheeks in her hands. My lips parted from her touch. She pulled me down ever so slowly, not wanting to rush it, but I'd already been in here for about five minutes. Ben and Jack were probably going to question me when I got back, but at this moment I really didn't care.

Her lips finally met mine and it was like time slowed even further, but my pulse quickened, and it felt like I could explode. Kate was teasing with the amount of tongue she decided to use, smirking against my mouth. I tried so hard to deepen the kiss, not being able to get enough of her, but she was holding her ground, keeping the tongue use very low.

My hands balled up by my sides, my frustration levels going down with every second her lips were on mine. I was starting to relax, my hands subconsciously resting on her waist.

All of my thoughts seemed to be shut off as I was just thinking about her. I was about to pull away, not because I was done, but to kiss her in other places. That obviously wasn't in her plans though because she held my face where it was and pushed her tongue past my lips, finally giving me the relief I'd come here looking for.

I moaned in response, not even caring how loud I was being. She started walking backward, taking me with her.

"Jump," I requested, my mouth still covering hers. She obliged and wrapped her legs loosely around my lower torso. I walked up so that her back was against the wall.

This reminded me of one of the first lessons I gave her. She was shy with all of the intimate stuff, but I got her to open to me after a few weeks of constant lessons. I was fortunate enough to be wearing sweatpants because they could at least conceal my hard-on a little bit. I was still pretty sure she could feel it against her though especially with only the thin fabric covering her.

I just needed for my brothers not to notice when I got back to the car. My brothers...

I was too lost in the moment to stop, so I just removed my mouth from hers and attached it to the skin on her neck. I wanted to heat up the moment just a little more before it came to a halt. I gently nipped on a few random spots, being extra careful to not leave any marks.

Whines surfaced and quietly left her lips, which were swollen from all the kissing we'd just did. Her hands ran through my hair, something she knew drove me insane. My beanie fell to the ground, but I didn't care. I pressed a few more kisses to her neck while making my way to her ear.

"You're so lucky this thing," I started, popping one of the thick straps against her soft skin. She moaned a little louder this time and tightened her legs around my waist. "Is complicated or else I'd be peeling it off of you right now," I whispered, my lips resting against her skin.

"I'll help you," she offered, shallow breaths leaving her mouth.

"Baby, I wish I could, but my brothers are outside in the car. They've been waiting, and it's been almost fifteen minutes," I told her, still kissing her neck gently. I used my nose to nudge her cheek so I could have better access. She sighed, but I didn't know what it meant.

"It's okay, maybe later?"

"Definitely," I agreed, pulling away to peck her on the lips and letting her down. She smiled at me before resting her head against my chest, encasing herself in my arms.

"I wanna go say hi," she said, suddenly cheering up.

"Yeah, okay." She pulled away and ran upstairs. I followed behind her and took a seat on her bed once we got in her room. She grabbed a loose-fitting shirt and threw that on along with some running shoes to go over her socks. Just as we were about to leave, I got her attention. "Kate, let me borrow your charger for a second, I told Ben and Jack that we were coming here because I left it."

"It's over there," she said pointing to her nightstand. I went over there and grabbed it out of the wall, putting it in my pocket.

Kate turned off the lights in her room and we made our way outside so she could say hello.

"Oh my god, we thought you fell in a hole," Jack announced, rolling down his window. Kate was walking behind me, so they couldn't see her.

"Sorry," I apologized. Kate stepped from behind me and Jack's eyes widened.

"Kate! Oh my god!" he basically screamed. He opened his door quickly and engulfed her in a hug, one that swept her off of her feet, making her giggle. Ben got out of the car too.

"Hi guys," she greeted. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," Ben responded first.

"Me too. And yourself?" Jack asked. He always had away with the girls, but Kate was safe because their relationship was strictly platonic.

"Yeah, I've been good too," she replied. "I just came out to say hi."

"Really?" Jack questioned, and she nodded. "Well, we're just going home and having a movie night. You should come with us. I don't think mum and dad would mind?" He invited her, turning to Ben and me to make sure it was okay.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Ben agreed.

"I don't think that's the best idea," I said, looking at Kate. She completely understood what I was doing.

"Aw, Luke don't be a party pooper," Jack teased me. I huffed but gave in.

"Fine." I went around to my side and got in, Kate sitting in the seat behind me. I didn't want to make a big deal of her sitting in the passenger seat because it was cause attention, so I let Jack keep his seat.

"What took you so long in there?" Ben asked. I mentally cursed his brain for remembering that, and I sighed before answering. Only, Kate cut me off.

"I couldn't find where I put his charger because I misplaced it while cleaning up. It took such a long time to find it even though it was in one of the most obvious places," she explained, laughing lightly to herself. They both nodded along, her explanation pretty believable.

I adjusted my rearview mirror so I could see her. She winked at me, and a smile overtook my face. Kate was the best friend anyone could ever ask for, and I just so happened to be madly in love with her.


	47. Safe

Luke's POV

The short drive to my house was just full of Jack and Kate talking, and Ben adding in some things to the conversation every now and then. Once we finally arrived at my residence, I saw that my parents were already home. They were probably inside getting some stuff ready for the movie.

We still didn't know what movie we were going to be watching because that choice was up to Ben and Jack. I was honestly not looking forward to it.

In a perfect world where my oh-so-wonderful brothers knew about me and Kate, I would cuddle with her the whole time. That's just what I liked to do. I loved cuddling, and I had no shame about it.

Watching this movie would just be uncomfortable without being able to hold her. I wanted to opt-out, but my parents probably wouldn't allow that, and my brothers would most likely beg me to stay, furthering my everlasting frustration.

The worst part about this entire situation was that I had to pretend like I wasn't in love with a girl who was right in front of me. Even though I'd been through this before, I think I knew I was doing a pretty terrible job at hiding it. Like, who kisses their best friend and calls them pet names? Oh, yeah. I do.

Also, our sleeping arrangement was stressing me out. She would probably go to her room, the one in my house that she hadn't used in forever, and sleep there. I would sleep in my room, and it would be just like it was before. Except, this isn't how it used to be. Everything had changed.

I couldn't just have her around and pretend like we weren't together. That was definitely not going to work. The only other solution I had was to just not talk to her. Of course, I would tell her why, but I couldn't handle my emotions plus the additional raging hormones I had. It would end up with us getting caught doing something we shouldn't get caught doing.

This was too complicated for me. I needed to stop thinking about it before my brain exploded.

Once I parked the car, we all got out and went through the door in the garage. We walked into the kitchen where Mum was making loads of popcorn. Dad was straightening up the lounge room and setting up the Netflix account.

Jack grabbed a handful of popcorn from the large bowl, making Mum smack his hand.

"Ow." He flinched at the hit and dropped the popcorn back in the bowl. Kate giggled, and Ben laughed. I just stood there expressionless.

"Oh, hello Kate," Mum said with a smile in her direction.

Kate waved before saying, "Hi Liz, the boys invited me to watch the movie with you guys tonight. I hope I'm not intruding on quality family time." I couldn't resist grabbing her hand and squeezing it for reassurance.

She looked at me, a questioning glance, but I didn't care. We were on the other side of the island in the kitchen. Nor Jack or Ben would be able to see it. Kate knew she wasn't intruding. She was basically apart of the family, and we all loved her here.

"You aren't intruding, Kate. You're part of the family," Mum responded, taking the words right out of my head.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. My two brothers went outside, I assumed it was to get their bags. They returned about a minute later, confirming my assumptions when I saw them wheeling their bags behind them.

We spent a few more minutes in the kitchen just talking before Jack spoke up again. "I'm gonna go change out of these clothes and put on some more comfy ones." With that, he left the room and headed upstairs, suitcase right behind him.

"Me too," Ben added, following Jacks's footsteps up the stairs and parting ways to go to his own room.

Kate and I stayed in the kitchen, she and Mum talking about something I was barely paying attention to. My brothers were upstairs and probably would be for a while, so I put all my worries aside and stood directly behind Kate, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder.

"Wait, I'm confused," Mum said, eyeing the both of us. I didn't know what she was talking about, so I just decided to wait to speak until she elaborated. "A few seconds ago, you two were acting like you didn't know each other. What was that all about?"

"Mum," I groaned, making Kate giggle for the hundredth time today. I loved hearing her laugh, and I was glad that she was doing a lot more of it recently. It was one of the best sounds I'd ever heard. "They don't know about us yet. We're waiting to tell them at dinner on Tuesday," I explained.

"Why so long?"

"He thought it was a perfect time because we'd be having dinner," Kate chimed in. I was grateful for that because I was already starting to rethink my entire plan. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this act up.

I kissed her on the cheek quickly without thinking. It was a force of habit and for a second I forgot we were in the same room as my mum.

"Save all of the affection for your private time Luke," Mum said, taking her attention away from Kate and me.

"Sorry Liz," Kate apologized for both of us. With my face against hers, I felt her cheeks heat up due to embarrassment. I knew she wasn't embarrassed by me or our relationship, just the fact that my mum witnessed a small glimpse of what we do when she's not around.

I didn't really care that much though. It was an innocent peck on the cheek, and people do that all the time. I would've felt different if I kissed her on the neck, but that was a whole other story.

"You guys are fine, just don't take it any farther than that while in the presence of other people." I smiled widely, but it was quickly replaced when we heard a noise coming from the kitchen entryway.

I watched intently and let out a deep sigh when I saw that it was just my dad. He walked in, sending a smirk in the direction of Kate and me. He whispered something to my mum, making her laugh.

He left after grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, whistling on his way out. Kate and Mum continued their conversation, and I zoned out once again, just concentrating on the feeling of holding her in my arms since I probably wouldn't be able to anymore today.

"Are you staying the night?" Mum asked Kate, making her pulse speed up. I wanted to tell her that it was okay and that it'd just be like it was before.

"Only if the guys want me to," she responded. I knew for a fact that my brothers would want her to, but I wanted her to even more. I really just wanted to sleep, and it was never peaceful enough without her.

"Of course we want you to Kate. It's going to be fun," I told her, my mum nodding in agreement.

"Okay, I'll just take my old room I guess," she told my mom, making me sigh with a frown following.

"Why?" Mum questioned. "Don't worry, I know you both sleep in the same bed when you stay the night. I've come in to check on Luke a few times to find you two cuddled up, peaceful. It's quite something, and by that alone, I can tell he really loves you," she added. I knew that she meant every word, and she was definitely right. I loved Kate so much that I couldn't even put it in words.

"I know he does, and I love him just as much," she replied. A warmness spread throughout my entire body at her words. Even though we told each other all the time, it always had the same addicting effect on me.

It was kind of uncomfortable talking about all of this around my mom, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. She was very chill about Kate and I as a couple, but that's probably because she's known her for so long. Mum knows Kate has good intentions, and she loves her like a daughter.

"I believe you," Mum told Kate, her face holding a great sense of pride. I knew if she had to choose someone for me, Kate would, without a doubt, be the girl. "I just hope you two are being safe," she said out of nowhere.

Kate hid her face in her hands, and I shook my head in disbelief, my entire face turning red.

"Mum, how do you-" I was about to ask, but chattering in the hallway silenced me. It was the sound of my brother's voices that made me quickly detach myself from Kate.

It was perfect timing because they walked into the room, oblivious of everything that's just happened. My mum went back to fixing up all of the popcorn, pretending like we weren't just having a conversation and leaving Kate and I flustered.

I would've never guessed my mum knew I was active, and I never expected her to take it so well. Maybe it was because Kate was here, maybe it wasn't, but for whatever reason, I was extremely grateful.

My mum was very wise and reasonable when it came to things that were going on in our own lives. She mainly let us make our own decisions, but would advise something else if she didn't think it was the best option or idea. That was one of my favorite things about my relationship with her. She didn't judge me for anything and she gave me the best advice she could.

I remember having 'the conversation' with her, and she strictly told me no sex until i was twenty-five. One thing she did tell me following that statement was: As long as you're doing it with someone who means something to you and you're both being safe, all is well. I would never forget that.

Lost in my own thoughts, I could hear the faint voices of everyone talking about whatever. It made me think of my secret, the only thing I'd never told Kate. I probably needed to tell her, but I didn't know when.

I pushed that thought to the back of my head before I started to overthink it. Just when I didn't think I could get any more bored, I saw my mum pick up the large bowl of popcorn and walk towards the doorway of the kitchen. Ben and Jack followed, as well as Kate. I was right behind them.

We all went into the lounge room and found a seat. Dad took the recliner, Kate took the love seat across from my dad, and Mum, Jack, and Ben sat on the couch. I was left with nowhere to sit, so I took a seat on the floor in front of the chair Kate was in, resting my back against it.

"Luke, why are you sitting on the floor?" Mum asked. I looked at her with a confused expression, and she gave me a mischievous smile. She knew why I wasn't sitting with Kate, and she was trying to make me uncomfortable.

"Because there's nowhere else to sit?" I responded, my statement coming out as more of a question. Of course, I wanted to sit with her and cuddle while the movie was playing, but I couldn't today.

"Sure there is," she challenged me. "There's plenty of room on the seat Kate's sitting on."

"Yeah, Luke. Why don't you just sit with her?" Jack asked. I groaned in annoyance and stood up so they would stop talking already. Kate moved to the far left of the seat to give me some room to sit down. I sat as far away from her as possible. This was going to be pure torture.

My brothers picked a movie, and I was barely paying attention to it. The only thing I was focusing on was to not touch Kate. She obviously wasn't following the same plan I was because she moved closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I searched the room to see if anyone saw the exchange and I found Jack staring at us.

"Don't be so awkward," he mouthed to me, referring to my surprised look. If only he knew.

I decided to take his advice and relax. I wrapped one of my arms around her and silently thanked the heavens above that I could do this without being questioned. The popcorn was being passed around, and I politely declined. Kate took a handful and passed it on. I sighed contently and finally started paying attention to the movie.  
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The movie was close to being over when I looked around to find everyone asleep, except Kate. Her head was now on my chest, and I had two arms around her instead of one. There were about ten minutes of the movie left, and I was starting to get bored again.

The bowl of popcorn was in the middle of the floor now, pretty much empty after two hours of entertainment. The only light in the room was coming from the flat screen hanging on the wall. I didn't want to fall asleep in this chair because I would regret it in the morning.

I tapped Kate to get her attention. When she looked up at me, I kissed the top of her head and she sat up.

"I'm gonna go to my room now. It's getting pretty boring in here," I whispered, and she nodded in agreement. I stood up from the couch and stretched before making my way to the staircase. Kate followed behind me, grabbing my hand as I went up to my bedroom.

The one she had here, that she hadn't recently used, was next door to mine. Jack's room was across the hall and Ben's was next to his. I opened the door to my room, and I turned the light on. I made sure to twist the lock on the door just in case someone tried to barge in unexpectedly.

Kate took a seat on the edge of my bed while I took off my sweats to get ready to go to sleep. She was already wearing clothes that looked to be comfortable to sleep in, but I tossed her my shirt just in case she wanted to wear it.

"Thanks," she said, a small smile on her lips. She then stood up and took off the shirt she already had on before practically peeling the tight spandex from her legs.

My mouth started getting dry and my vision blurred a little. I didn't understand how one person could literally take my breath away, appear to be so beautiful without trying that it made the words I had to express my feelings get stuck in my throat. I felt like I was in a daze.

I'd stopped doing what I was doing and I just stared. I was standing in the middle of my room in only my boxers, the air getting thicker and the room getting hotter with every passing second. She grabbed the shirt I was wearing and noticed me looking at her just as she was about to put it on.

"What?" she asked, licking her lips afterward. I just needed a second with hers on mine, and I would be able to go through the night, just a second. She knew exactly what she was doing. Kate tried to act all innocent, but I knew better.

She turned her back to me, and my eyes scanned her body. I quickly made my way to where she was standing, right at the edge of my bed. I couldn't wait any longer, the untamable burn in the pit of my stomach no longer under my control.

Once I was directly behind her, I rested my hands on her hips, and I kissed her right shoulder. Goosebumps rose on her skin, just the way they always did.

"I don't know how you manage to make me feel this way, but I never want it to stop," I told her. "I love you so much."

She turned around and dropped my shirt, taking a seat in my bed. She was only in her underwear and sports bra, and it was turning me on faster than I could comprehend.

"I love you too. I always have, and I always will. You mean everything to me," she replied, a serious face. I knew she meant every word, and she knew the same about me. She grabbed my hands and pulled me to her and down to her level until I was kneeling on the floor.

"I'm so lucky to have you."

"Luke," she sighed, her lips parting slightly from me touching her thighs. It came off as partly a plead for me to do something, anything. I could see the thoughts running behind her eyes, and I knew what she was thinking.

"The door is locked," I informed her, and she nodded. I slowly moved my face closer to hers, Kate leaning back a little the closer I got. I had on hand on either side of her body now, more than eager for something to happen.

"They could still knock," she countered, trying to make a rational decision in such an intense moment.

"And I wouldn't care," I responded, making my moves even slower, more cautious, as I pressed my lips to Kate's."  
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We ended up not being able to do anything, and it was kind of disappointing. Of course, we knew that he was to be extremely quiet, but trying to do stuff like that, especially when conscious of a lot of other people, just made it a little awkward.

I guess we just had to be a little more patient if we were going to keep this act up for another three days. Kate seemed to be doing a lot better than I was at this because I was having such a hard time.

She ended up falling asleep an hour and a half before me. It was already late, but I just couldn't sleep. I had too much running through my mind, and I had no idea how to stop it.

My mum ended up knocking on my door in the middle of the night. Kate was on the other side of my bed, sound asleep. I eventually put my sweatpants back on, so when I answered the door, I was completely dressed.

"Yes?" I only had the door open a little, just enough for her to see my face.

"Are you okay? Is she asleep?" she asked in a hushed tone. I just nodded. I was in no mood to talk.

"You know you'll feel a lot better if you tell them sooner rather than later? It'll save you a lot of the headache," she told me. I definitely agreed with her, and I was already starting to find another way to tell them instead of waiting so long.

I just couldn't do it anymore, it was starting to get the best of me.

"I know." I paused for a second to take a deep breath. "I'm just trying to find the right time."

"Anytime is the right time, Luke. They're just your brothers, and they aren't going to judge you for liking Kate. Do you see how much they love her already? It's going to be the same even after they know," she explained.

If I were being honest with myself, she was obviously right. All of my thoughts suddenly came to a halt and I was already starting to feel better.

"I guess I just need to sleep on it. Thanks Mum, love you. Goodnight," I said.

"Night, love you too." She walked down the hallway, and I shut the door. I sighed in relief as I crawled into my bed and pulled the duvet over me.

There was a little bit of shuffling around before Kate finally turned to face me.

"Who was that?" she questioned in a sleepy voice.

"Just my mum." She gradually got closer to me until she was snuggled in my arms, and I tangled our legs together.

A few beats of silence went before she said, "Oh, okay."

"Kate, what do you think about us telling them tomorrow?" I asked.

I thought she'd fallen back asleep, but she responded a few seconds later, making me smile.

"Sounds like a plan Luke," she responded. I could tell she was on the very edge of sleep. I didn't speak anymore, and I let her get her rest.

We were both going to need it for an anxiety-filled day tomorrow. I closed my eyes and made my breathing steady until I was peacefully sleeping with my princess right next to me.


	48. Box

Luke's POV

I woke up to a ton of hair on my face. Kate was turned away from me, sound asleep. I sat up slowly, my body still getting used to being awake, and I rubbed my eyes.

After a few minutes of just sitting in my bed in silence, I checked my phone for the time. It was well past noon, so I got up to see what everyone else was doing. I normally didn't sleep in, but it felt good to every once in a while.

I decided to let Kate sleep, leaving my room to brush my teeth and use the toilet. I washed my hands quickly before making my way downstairs to get breakfast from the kitchen.

When I got there, I didn't see anyone. Usually, if my parents were home, my mum would be making something, whether it'd be late breakfast or some lunch. No one was here though. I wondered if everyone slept in and I was the first up, but I quickly ruled that thought out. My mum was always up early.

I went back upstairs and checked both my brothers' rooms, where I also found no one. I then went to my parent's room, and they weren't in there either. The only other thing I knew to do was to call, so I did.

I called my mum first because she was most likely to answer, and I wasn't surprised when she picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mum. I was just calling to find out where everyone was. I just got up and the house is empty besides Kate," I explained. I didn't mind being home alone, obviously, but I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay.

"Yeah, we all got up early to do a little bit of Christmas shopping. I told Kate just before she left because she was awake. We should be back within the next few hours," she quickly informed me. I could tell they were at some mall by the loud chattering I could hear in the background.

I took a seat on the couch in the lounge room and let out a huge sigh of relief. I knew Kate and I were planning to tell my brothers, but I couldn't help but be relieved by the fact that I could put it off if only a little bit longer. I had a few more hours to mentally prepare myself for it.

"Oh, alright. I guess that's all I needed then," I said.

"Okay, bye Luke."

"Love you, bye," I told her, hanging up the phone afterward.

I couldn't stop thinking about how my brothers would react to my news. I knew I was being very irrational about this entire thing, but I couldn't help it. They didn't completely know about my secret, but they knew enough to accidentally say something about it in front of her. That's what I was the most afraid of.

I needed to be able to sit her down and tell her myself, instead of having her find out from someone else. That would raise questions and make the situation seem way more dramatic than it actually was.

My stomach growled, and I suddenly remembered that I came downstairs for the sole purpose of finding something to eat. I got up from my spot on the couch, and I went to the kitchen. It was already past breakfast time, but I didn't care so I grabbed a box of cereal out of the cabinet and some milk from the fridge.

I prepared it the way I liked, then I sat at the island to eat. After about twenty minutes, I was finally done with my makeshift meal and Kate had come down from my room.

"I would say good morning, but it's well past that," I chuckled, standing from my seat and putting my dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Kate sat down in the seat next to the one I had been sitting in and she nodded.

"Yeah, I was awake earlier, just for like fifteen minutes though," she started. "Your mum came in and told me that she, your dad, and the boys were going out Christmas shopping."

"Right, I talked to her a bit ago, and she told me," I said. Kate had her elbow on the countertop and her chin resting in her palm. She looked bored. Why was I being so boring? "Do you know if Jack or Ben came in at all?" I asked.

"Not that I know of." Her eyes still didn't meet mine as she was focused on the patterns in the granite counter.

"Oh okay," I sighed, and a few moments passed before I spoke again. "I'm still nervous about telling them, and knowing that we're doing it today is making my head spin." Her head snapped up, and we held eye contact. It was almost like she was trying to read me by my eyes, but I shied away, breaking the gaze.

"Luke, it's okay. I'm gonna be there, standing right next to you. There's nothing you need to worry about," she told me, but that's where she was wrong. If only she knew.

I needed to find sometime soon to tell her. I knew that would be particularly hard for me though because I've had problems telling her things and expressing myself in the past. I didn't want to do it this time, but it was almost like I couldn't avoid that part of myself.

"I know. I love you," I stated honestly. I could see a small smile creep onto her face, but she still wasn't looking at me. Suddenly, I wondered what she was thinking about.

"I love you too."

"Are you okay?" I asked. She seemed really off, and I could tell there was something wrong.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she countered, and I shrugged in return. I hadn't thought of any reason why she would need to be upset other than revealing our relationship to my two brothers. She'd been handling it very well, so I didn't think that was it.

"I don't know, you aren't acting like yourself," I confessed. I was standing across from where she was sitting, but I walked around the island to make my way to her.

"Well I'm fine, so don't worry," she said softly, still not focusing her attention in my direction. I sighed and reached over, cupping her chin in my hand. This made the chair she was sat in spin so she was facing me, but she still wasn't looking at me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Luke," she basically whined. I was probably annoying her, but I just wanted to make sure she was okay.

There was a crease between her furrowed eyebrows and placed a light kiss there. It went away as she relaxed from my touch, so I very slowly pressed my lips to hers. She sighed into the kiss, started gravitating towards me.

I walked closer so I was stood directly between her legs. The more relaxed I became, the more I let my hands roam her body. They went down her sides before resting on her upper thighs, right where my shirt bunched around her waist from her sitting down.

I had to bend down quite far to reach her mouth, but I didn't mind. We were sharing short and sweet kisses, no one that lingered for too long. It felt like some of my stress was taken away with every single one, and as more time went by, I felt better and better.

After a couple of minutes of light kissing, I pulled away and rested my forehead on hers. Kate's forearms were on my shoulders, and she was finally looking at me, a smile playing on her lips. I leaned in to kiss her one more time before pulling away completely and taking her hands in mine.

"I'm just making sure Kate," I said.

"I know, and I'm fine. Don't worry." She stood up from the stool and let my hands go. I knew there was something that she wasn't telling me, and I wasn't going to drop it until I found out what was bothering her.

She grabbed the box of cereal I had from off of the counter, and she got the milk out of the fridge. Kate got dishes out of the cabinets to make her cereal while I tried to figure out what was bothering her.

"Please tell me," I begged. It drove me a little crazy not being able to help Kate be the happiest she could be. She deserved all of the happiness in the world, and I wanted to give that to her.

"You wouldn't understand." Her tone had a hint of annoyance in it, but I didn't really care.

"Kate," I said sharply. She was done making the cereal, so she went back to sit down.

"Luke," she challenged, followed by a slight wince. It looked like she was trying to cover it up so I didn't see, but I caught it. Again, I walked closer to where she was.

"I saw that," I called her out. "Now, tell me what's up." I didn't know what could be so bad that she wouldn't just tell me. She put a spoonful of cereal in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed it before speaking again.

"Ugh, just cramps Luke," she groaned before quickly moving her hand to her stomach.

"Oh." I didn't know what I was supposed to say because I hadn't expected that to be the problem.

"I told you," Kate muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that," I told her honestly. There were a few beats of silence that passed before I spoke again. "Is there anything you need?"

I didn't have much experience with girls and periods, but I knew about all of the basic stuff. My mum made sure to educate me about it so I would know what to do if situations like these came up.

Apparently, I had to be extra cautious about my choice of words and very nice, so I didn't get punched in the face or kicked between my legs. I was also told that not all girls were like that, but I need to be careful just in case.

"I want to go home." I didn't want her to go home, but deep down I was happy because I basically got out of having to tell my brothers today. That meant I could continue with my mental preparation.

"Um okay. Are you ready now?" I asked. Kate nodded and stood from her seat, not finishing the rest of the little bit of cereal she had left. I was guessing that she didn't have much of an appetite, which was weird considering. "You can just get your stuff from upstairs and I'll be in the car." She nodded again and made her way upstairs.

I let out a deep sigh before going to retrieve my keys from the hook near the door. I quickly slipped on a pair of flip-flops, and I went outside to start the car. Once it was running, all that was left to do was wait for Kate to come outside.

About ten minutes later is when she finally returned and walked to the car after locking the front door. She had changed out of my shirt and put the clothes she wore to my house back on. She slipped in quietly and put her seatbelt on.

I put the car in gear, and I drove out of the driveway so I could head to her house.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her resting her head against the window. I'd never seen her like this before.

The only thing I really knew about cramps was that they hurt, sometimes only a little and other times, a lot. That mostly explained her behavior, but I didn't want her to be in pain.

It was a short drive to her house was quiet, my soft humming and the cd I had in providing background noise. I had my free hand rested on her knee until we pulled into her driveway.

I turned the car off while Kate got out and headed to the front door. She let the both of us in and we took our shoes off by the door.

I followed her to her room where she immediately started taking some clothes out of different drawers. I assumed she was about to shower, but she turned on her television and left it on a channel playing a show with girls trying to find their dead friend.

Kate then laid the clothes she picked out across the foot of her bed. She left momentarily, telling me she was going to the bathroom and that she'd be right back. By the time she came back, I was sitting on her bed with my back against her headboard.

"You're staying?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

"Yeah, you don't want me to?" I countered. Kate didn't respond, but instead walked to her bed and climbed on. She took her phone out of her pocket and did something on it before shutting it off and placing it on her bedside table.

She grabbed the remote and turned the volume of her television up to fully capture what was going on. When she was done, she crawled over to where I was and sat next to me.

"Of course I do, but I didn't want you to be bored here." I gave her a confused look, and she laid her head on my shoulder.

"That's nonsense, I like being wherever you are," I said honestly. It was one of the truest things I've ever told her.

"Luke, oh my god. That was cheesy," she laughed.

"Don't laugh at me, I'm serious." Kate didn't listen though, she continued to laugh until she was out of breath. It put a smile on my face.

"I know," she responded before returning her head to my shoulder. I don't know what I was thinking, but one of my hands quickly attached itself to her lower abdomen. I started mindlessly rubbing and Kate looked up at me.

"Does it feel any better?" I asked her, continuing to place my focus on the site of her cramps. I could see her nodding slowly out of my peripheral vision, so I continued to rub. I had no idea if it would do anything at all, but I decided that it was worth a try. "Have you taken anything for it yet?" I followed up and she nodded once more.

"Yes, but it either hasn't kicked in yet, or it isn't working," she sighed, eyes still on me.

"Does it hurt really bad?" I questioned.

"Yeah, and I would tell you how bad, but I don't think there's any other pain I can compare this to." I chuckled lightly. If there really wasn't anything comparable to the pain Kate was experiencing, I personally didn't think it should exist in the first place.

The only good thing about this was the certainty that Kate wasn't pregnant, which also meant that I wasn't going to be shot dead by my mum.

"I'm sorry baby," I said sincerely. I thought it was stupid that girls had to go through this twelve times in a year, but I guess that's how it had to go if they wanted children in the future. "You just relax today, okay?"

"I will, Luke," she mumbled, sounding a little tired even though she'd just woken up a little over an hour ago. Kate leaned up and placed a light kiss on my jaw before setting her head back on my shoulder.

An uncontrollable heat spread throughout my body, and I had to quickly remind myself that now was not the time in order to calm down. Instead of focusing on myself, I encased Kate in my arms and attached one of my hands to her lower stomach. I gently rubbed in a circular motion and she hummed in response.

We stayed like this for about half an hour before Kate eventually got up. Besides the television playing, the room was otherwise silent.

It felt weird because we were in a really good and steady place at the moment, which had never happened before. I just started to feel a little bit bad because there was still a secret that needed to be revealed. I didn't know exactly how she would take it, but all I could hope was for an okay reaction.

"I'm just going to go get in the shower. You don't have to stay if you don't want to," she told me, but I shook my head.

"I'll stay," I started, getting up from my spot and following her out of the room. We stopped by the door of the bathroom, and I continued. "But I'm gonna go to the store really quick. Do you want or need anything back?"

She thought for a moment before responding, "Um, no thank you."

"Okay, I'll be right back then." With that, she went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I took the steps two at a time until I reached the bottom. After putting on my shoes, I went out the front door, closing and locking it behind me.  
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Kate's POV

I made sure the water was extra hot a sit ran down the front side of my body. Heat always helped when I had bad cramps, and sometimes even better than pain medication.

I didn't get them every month, but when I did, it felt like Satan performing surgery on my uterus while I was awake and messing it up just because he could. How was I going to survive having kids?

I made sure to wash my body and hair before just letting the water run over me. It's almost felt like the cramps had totally disappeared and I was grateful for that. I made a mental note to look for the heating pad when I was done showering so I could try and keep the pain away for as long as I could.

I didn't know if Luke rubbing my tummy had actually done anything, but it felt like it was working, and I really enjoyed that.

Luke was being really sweet to me and extra cautious today, and that was one of the many reasons why I loved him. Honestly, he didn't really have anything to worry about. I wasn't the type to be moody on her period, so I wasn't going to lash out at him or anything like that.

In fact, I tried to stay exceptionally happy during this time just to add a little positivity to my body wanting to rip itself apart.

The only thing that was maybe slightly moody was if I got a little too emotional. It was like I couldn't stop crying sometimes, but when was I ever not crying? Other than that, I was generally cheerful so no one had to worry about me going into a rage.

I wasn't really worried about us for the first time out of the whole time we'd been dating. So far we had proven that we could keep a strong relationship with minimal to no fighting, and I was so glad that everything was finally headed the right way.

There was only one thing I had steady on my mind and that was Luke's Christmas gift. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to get him, but I knew I wanted it to be absolutely perfect.

I had a few more days to try and pull something together because I didn't want to wait until the last minute. I didn't think there was any way I was going to be able to make it to a mall or something to look at, but I really needed to go soon.

I would probably try when my cramps weren't so bad so I could actually focus on buying a gift instead of the pulsing pain in my lower abdomen. I honestly just wanted to lay down until they went away, but I understood that that wasn't a reality.

Exercise always helped me anyway, so I was planning to go for a walk sometime tomorrow. Maybe if Luke was down for it, we could go together and I wouldn't be alone the whole time. I could also try to figure out what he wanted for Christmas during that time, making my life a whole lot easier.

I spent a few more minutes under the water before getting out. I dried off quickly and went back to my room to get dressed. Once I was in comfortable clothes again. I dried my hair so it wouldn't soak my pillows when I laid down again, and then I went on my hunt for the heating pad.

I ended up finding it in the linen closet by my parents' room, so I took it back to my room and plugged it in by my bed.

After sitting and continuing my television episode, I checked the time because Luke hadn't made it back yet. He left almost an hour and a half ago. Where was he?

The heating pad was working wonders for me, and I was so comfortable. My eyes couldn't help but get heavy. They slowly started shutting, my consciousness slipping away.

Just went I was about to be pulled under, there was a light thud nearby, making my eyes shoot back open.

"Shit," someone cursed. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, and I sat up, causing the heating pad to slip off of me. Luke was bent over, and when he stood back up, our eyes met. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"It's okay, I wasn't really asleep all the way," I laughed, waving him over. He had a plastic bag in one of his hands and a small square box in the other.

"Sorry, it took so long. I couldn't figure out what size to get, so I just..." he trailed off, handing me the purple box.

My eyes scanned over the item quickly and I almost immediately recognized it to be a box of tampons. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and when I looked at him again, his were the same. He came closer to my bed so that his legs were touching the edge and gave me the bag as well.

I looked inside and found some chocolate, popcorn, more painkillers, and a few bottles of water. My heart warmed, and I could've sworn my eyes were glossing over. Why did I always have to be so emotional?

"Luke, you didn't have to-" I was about to say, but he cut me off.

"I know, I wanted to," he said slowly. I turned off the heating pad, and crawled across my bed to where he was.

"I hate you, you know that?" I told him standing up. I didn't know what I did to be rewarded with the best boyfriend I could ever ask for, but I silently thanked whoever, if anybody, was listening. Being with him was actually the best decision I'd ever made. "I don't deserve you."

"Of course you do. You deserve everything and more, and I don't want you to ever let anyone tell you otherwise. I love you," he voiced. I knew that it was my emotional side and the unbalanced hormones that made me start crying.

I guess Luke was used to it because he used his thumb to wipe the tears away, and he pulled me closer to him by my waist. My eyes peered into his, and my breaths became shallow. I cupped his cheeks into my hands, and like always, he met me halfway.

It was gentle like he was trying to be slow and cautious with this as well, but he didn't need to. I made the first move to deepen the kiss, and he was a little hesitant at first but relaxed once he realized that I was fine.

He slid his tongue past my parted lips and pulled me closer to him if that was even possible. This wasn't helping my hormonal state, especially because I couldn't do anything about being turned on.

Well, technically I could, but I didn't find the idea very appealing.

We continued kissing, tongues basically intertwined with each other's as my hands found their way to his hair. I tugged on the roots a few times, Luke humming in response and squeezing my sides. He made sure not to squeeze too hard though, so he wouldn't hurt me.

A few more minutes passed, and he pulled away first, leaving a kiss on my temple to compliment what'd just happened.

"Are your cramps better?" he asked awkwardly, his eyes not meeting mine.

"Yeah, a little. The heating pad and shower helped a lot," I informed him. He nodded and took a seat next to me on my bed. "Thank you for the tam-" He cut me off before I could finish.

"Don't say the word," Luke said, his entire face red by now. I just laughed at him. "I'm already embarrassed enough by it. People in the shop were staring at me." He whispered the last half, making me laugh even more. Luke hid his face in his hands, completely mortified by the whole situation.

Once I'd calmed down, he was still hiding, so I kissed him on his cheek. He slowly came out, blush still prominent on his face. He sent me a shy smile.

"It's okay." I picked up the box and inspected it a little. "But Luke," I called and his head snapped up, facing me.

"Hmm?"

"You got the wrong size," I told him. I was a light, and he bought regulars. They would work just fine, but it was hilarious to mess with him. "They're too big."

"Oh, God," he groaned. "I-I can go back, and exchange them. I just thought they would be okay since, you know, I put my d-" he rambled before I cut him off.

"Luke, they're fine. Relax." I knew exactly was he was about to say, and my face held an expression of shock. How could someone be so awkward yet so incredibly alluring at the same time? He didn't even know he was doing this, which made it more confusing.

"Okay, because I was freaking out for a second." His face has finally started returning to its normal color and he grabbed the remote that was next to me and turned the television up.

"I saw that," I giggled. I turned my heating pad back on and placed it right over my uterus. I felt a sharp cramp just before the device reached its maximum temperature, and I grimaced.

Luke seemed to notice, and he was suddenly alert and paying all of his attention to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep, I'm alright," I confirmed honestly. He eyed me for a few seconds, making sure. Right when I thought he was about to focus on the show playing again, he leaned in and placed a brief kiss on my cheek and then my lips.

"You're so strong," he said against them. I thanked him and took the popcorn and chocolate out, passing it to him. He happily took some and put it into his mouth while I drank an entire bottle of water in like ten seconds.

A few hours later is when Luke got a call. Once he was off of the phone, he put it back in his pocket and turned to me.

"My mum wants me home," he explained. "Are you okay staying here by yourself, or do you want to come with me?"

"I can stay," I told him, smiling. He returned it and kissed me quickly before standing up.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow?" I nodded. "Alright, bye. I love you."

"I love you too."


	49. Tell

Kate's POV

After a little bit of stirring, I finally woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. I groaned in annoyance as I could already feel a pounding headache coming along. I rubbed my temples and groggily got out of bed.

There was so much I needed to do today, and I'd planned on getting most, if not all, of it done. The clock on my wall informed me that it was close to nine a.m., so I had plenty of time.

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell went off again, making my brain feel like it was trying to break out of my skull. I was surprised my parents weren't already awake by now.

"I'm coming!" I shouted, not making the pain any better. At least my cramps were gone because that plus a headache would be a complete disaster.

I tried to walk to the front door as quickly as possible, but I just felt extremely weak and sluggish. Once I finally got there, I unlocked it and swung it open.

Behind it stood Calum, Michael, and Ashton.

"Hi, Kate!" Michael exclaimed, being the first one to rush in and embrace me. I hugged him lightly and next was Calum.

"Kate, how're you?" he asked, also pulling me into a hug.

"I'm fine," I told him, moving on to Ashton who was sporting a very wide smile. He scooped me up in his arms, causing me to laugh and greet him.

"I missed you, Shortstack," he claimed, giving me a nickname to mock my size. I just laughed it off because it didn't bother me.

They all filed in so I could close the front door, and I led them to the lounge room. Everyone took a seat but Calum, Michael reaching towards the coffee table to grab the remote.

"Why are you guys here so early in the morning?" I asked, my voice still a little bit off from just being woken up out of my sleep so suddenly.

"Well, Christmas is right around the corner! We wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping with us," Michael explained. I nodded in understanding, and he just went back to focusing on the television.

"Alright, well I'm going to go shower, and then we can go," I said, turning around. I heard an, "Okay," from behind me confirming the plans.

Upon arriving back upstairs, I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth afterward. I picked out a pair of jean shorts and a light grey tank top to wear to the mall. I left my hair down because my head was still throbbing.

I needed to go back downstairs to find some ibuprofen soon.

After putting some lotion on and my clothes and shoes, I went back downstairs and headed to the kitchen. Just as I passed the lounge room, the doorbell rang again.

"Ugh, what is this? Party at Kate's?" I questioned. I quickly made my way to the door, kind of having an idea of who it was.

I opened it up, and there stood Luke, a plastic bag with two boxes inside in one of his hands, confirming my assumption. He reached his free hand out and pulled me closer to him by the small of my back. He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips and pulled away for I relaxed.

"Good morning," he said, coming back in to kiss me again. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, I just have a headache," I told him, and he frowned. "I was just about to take something for it when you rang the doorbell."

"I brought you some breakfast." He lifted the bag, handing it to me. I smiled, but he still didn't. I wondered what his problem was.

"Thank you." I gave him a quick hug and he kissed me on the top of my head.

"Do you want to stay in again today?"

"No," I said simply. "I have a couple of errands to run. I was going to go with my parents later, but the guys are here and they asked if I wanted to go with them."

I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get Luke something for Christmas, but if he was going to come along, it would defeat the purpose of the surprise. After thinking about it long and hard last and doing a little bit of research last night, I had a good idea of exactly what I wanted to get him.

I figured he would love it, and I couldn't wait to see his face when he opened it.

"Oh, can I come?" he asked. We stopped in the kitchen so I could find some medicine and eat the breakfast Luke brought.

"I don't see why not." He took a seat across from me as I was taking my box out. I passed him and he thanked me quickly, opening it and starting to eat his meal.

"Alright, when are we going to leave?"

"When I got dressed, but I'm going to eat first and take some meds so my head won't hurt as bad," I informed. I opened my box and it looked like he'd gotten me some sort of cinnamon roll with fresh fruit on the side. It looked good.

"Oh, okay."  
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We pretty much ate our breakfast in silence. I guess there really was nothing to say. We were in a pretty good place at the moment, and I was enjoying every second of it.

We were past all of the secrets and everything that could potentially cause a backtrack between us. All of our time now could be spent progressing our relationship instead of trying to keep it from falling down. It was safe to say that I was extremely happy.

Once I was done with my food, I discarded it and took the ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. I took out two and grabbed myself a glass, filling it halfway with water. I quickly took the medication, and now all that was left to do was wait until I kicked in.

Luke was already finished with his food, so he stood from his seat and was about to throw away his trash. Michael walked in just before he could and his eyes widened.

"Luke, how could you?" Michael asked, making the saddest face he could.

"Wh-What did I do?" Luke looked genuinely confused, but I knew this was just another one of Michael's dramatic acts. He always did this and Luke fell for it every time.

"You bring food for Kate and not for me? What about us? What about everything we've been through?" he exclaimed. "I seriously cannot believe you would do such a thing. I hate you, we're over!" Michael flipped Luke off and walked out of the kitchen and back to the lounge room.

We could clearly hear him ranting about Luke's "inhuman" actions, and I was just laughing the whole time. Luke still didn't understand as he was stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen, an expression of shock and obvious confusion covering his face.

Once the ranting died out in the other room, I walked over to Luke and grabbed his hand, snapping him out of it.

"What the hell?" he said, shaking his head.

"Relax Luke, he was just kidding," I said giggling, causing Luke to smile.

I loved it when he smiled. He looked so vulnerable and it conveyed all of his emotion. Whenever Luke smiled, it was always genuine and I loved the fact that he was smiling a lot more often.

"I know, and maybe I could actually relax if we could just fu-" I cut him off before he could finish that, me already knowing what he was about to say. Sometimes I wondered why he was so hormonal all of the time, but then again, I really didn't want to know.

"Woah, yeah okay. You're going to have to wait on that one mister," I told him, lightly patting his crotch. He grunted in response.

"Not mister, call me da-" he started, a smirk covering his face.

"Luke! Oh my god, please don't tell me that's one of your kinks," I basically screamed in shock, covering my eyes. Luke just laughed and pulled me into him.

"It's not, I just wanted to see how you would react," he clarified, still laughing. I looked up at him, and his eyes were sparkling with amusement. His gaze quickly turned to a whole-hearted one and he said, "I seriously am very horny though," not giving me time to respond to that by gently connecting our lips, holding me securely close to him.

I'm sure we could've gone a lot farther than we did, but Calum walked in just as Luke was about to deepen the kiss.

"Ew guys, seriously?" he asked, his face contorted into a play disgust. I pulled away first, but Luke held my body in place. Calum laughed and went straight to my refrigerator, opening it and searching through it.

"Sorry, I forgot you guys were here," Luke said, slipping his hands into my back pockets.

"It's fine. I understand that you're in love or whatever," he giggled, making me smile and reach up to plant a light kiss on his jaw. Calum took a seat at the island while he was waiting for the bread he put in the toaster to warm up.

"So you wouldn't mind if we," Luke started, using his pointer finger and his thumb to tilt my chin up. He kissed me three times and on the third one, he subtly slipped his tongue into my mouth. The kiss only lasted for about two seconds.

"You guys are disgusting," Calum said playfully. He got up to get his toast out of the toaster, and he unplugged it.

"Cal, what are you doing with the toaster?" I asked.

"This is my toaster," he said, picking it up in his hands and starting to walk off with it.

"That's not your toaster."

"Yes it is," he argued. It was always hilarious when Calum was playing mad because he didn't some of the most random things, and he said the craziest stuff. We usually knew what was going on, so we just played along.

"No, it isn't," I challenged, laughing.

"Fine." He finally dropped it and put the toaster back on the counter, plugging it back into the outlet. "We're about to leave soon, so if you're coming with, be ready," he said, leaving the kitchen with a mouth full of toast.

Once he was gone, Luke turned to me again. I truly enjoyed moments like these that I had with him, they were some I would never forget and the ones I cherished the most.

"He's crazy," Luke stated, kissing me on my forehead.

"I know."

"Does your head feel any better?" he asked, trying to read me by my eyes.

"Yes, a lot. Luke, stop worrying. I'm fine," I told him, which was true. I usually had to deal with some form of this every month. It just so happened that Luke and I were on and off, so every time I was on, he wasn't around.

"I can't help it." Luke pouted, and I mocked his facial expression. He made a different face, and I smiled, making him smile too. "Mmm, I love you," he said finally, sealing our lips together.

This felt like I was on a constant adrenaline rush, with the crazy butterflies and slight dizziness. The whole time my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. This was the best feeling in the world, and I would do anything to have it never stop.

"Aw, what a cute young couple," someone said. I immediately recognized it to be my mum's voice, Luke and I basically pulling apart at the same exact time. I stepped away from him, and my mum just walked closer to us.

"Oh, good morning Mum." I knew my cheeks were a deep shade of red by now, I'd never been caught doing anything by my parents. My mum was pretty chill so I didn't have anything to worry about, but it was still embarrassing.

"Looks like you two were already having a good morning," she countered, a small smirk on her face. If it was possible for my cheeks to turn a deeper color, that's what happened. Luke's face looked about the same.

"Yeah...um, we were gonna go Christmas shopping with the other guys. Do you mind me going?" I asked. My parents and I were supposed to go Christmas shopping, and I still wanted to go if they wanted me to.

"Oh, no. I guess we can go some other time, maybe tomorrow?" she suggested.

"Yeah, that's fine," I said, taking Luke's hand in mine. I led him or if the kitchen to go get the other boys so we could get an early start at the mall.

Once I gathered them up, I said goodbye to my parents before closing my front door and going to Luke's car. We decided to take a separate car from the guys because Luke said he wasn't going to be held responsible for the words that might leave his mouth during the half-hour drive to the mall.  
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Wednesday (3 Days Later)

Christmas was quickly approaching and I couldn't be more excited. We still had about a week left, but that didn't matter to me. All of our families were starting the week countdown with several families and friends' parties, which were always the best.

I'd gotten everyone's presents, and I put them away in my closet to wrap later. I was so glad to have saved all the money I made from babysitting before I got into the whole lessons thing with Luke because it'd really helped me out this year.

The only thing I could t cover myself was Luke's gift. I paid three-fourths for it, and my parents lent me the other quarter.

Luke had been at my house for the entire weekend, avoiding his own family. The other guys stayed too. We were supposed to have lunch at his house yesterday, but Liz moved it to today instead, which was fine with all of us.

We'd originally planned to tell his brothers at lunch, then Luke changed it. He ended up backing out of that anyway, so we decided to move it back. Today was officially the day.

I was sort of nervous about it, but I didn't think it was really that big of a deal. I hoped they approved of the relationship because I really loved Luke, and I didn't plan on going anywhere.

Luke on the other hand had been freaking out all day. He'd gone back to his house earlier this morning was just going to pick me up to go back to his house for lunch. I really didn't understand why he was so worked up, but I tried to soothe him as much as I could so he would chill out.

I was also glad to be off of my cycle because Luke was getting a little bit restless, and to be honest, so was I. Something needed to happen soon, but I didn't know when or where this would occur. Both of our parents were home and at home all day for the holidays, so that left no room for us to do anything.

This was so frustrating. I tried not to focus on it too much and instead start getting ready for lunch.

I took a quick shower and took my time finding something to wear. Luke told me it was casual so anything was fine. I decided on a white romper with navy blue trim and a pair of white converse to match. I curled my hair quickly then I went downstairs to wait for Luke.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Luke finally texted me to say that he was outside. I said goodbye to my parents, letting them know that I would be back later before going to meet Luke outside.

"Why didn't you come in?" I asked, getting into the car. His hand immediately went to my exposed thigh, rubbing up and down slowly.

"Because, if I went in there, we weren't gonna make it back to my house," he explained simply.

"Are you that nervous? You'll be fine, babe," I told him, and he gave my thigh a light squeeze.

The worst that could happen was that his brothers thought it was weird, but I don't think that was enough to break us up. I loved him, and he loved me, and I didn't think anyone could change that as of now.

"I know, but I need you. I'm so tensed and frustrated lately, and I haven't even been able to satisfy myself. I need your help," he whined. I put my hand on top of his, trying to calm him down.

"Same here. We're just going to have to wait," I said.

"I know." The rest of the ride was me trying to lighten the mood and take Luke's mind off of everything that was worrying him. I got him to talk to me a little bit, and it looked like he was actually enjoying himself.

A few minutes later, he pulled into his driveway and parked the car. We both got out and went into his house through the door in the garage.

"Kate! Welcome back!" Jack exclaimed, running up and engulfing me in his arms. Luckily, I hadn't grabbed Luke's hand when we got out of the car because I'm sure he would've noticed straight away.

"Hey," I giggled, hugging him back. Ben was next, and our exchange was a little quicker than the one Jack and I had.

"Hello Kate," Liz greeted. I waved and smiled widely. Ben and Jack went off to go play video games in the lounge room, Luke excused himself to his room, and I just made small talk with Liz.

We literally talked about everything, and I even told her what I got Luke for Christmas. She approved and thought it was a very good gift, even better than hers.

After maybe ten minutes of chatting with Luke's mum, I went upstairs to check on Luke. I opened the door to his room without knocking, which could've been a bad idea, but he wasn't doing anything.

He looked to be asleep, his hands rested behind his head and his eyes closed. I closed the door behind me and made my way over to his bed. Maybe I could help him out a little bit like he wanted, needed.

I don't think he heard me coming, as I'd taken off my shoes as soon as we got into the house. The closer I got to him the more noticeable the bulge in the front of his pants became.

I bit my lip, the room becoming a little hotter. This was going to make my job a lot easier.

Once I was right at the side of his bed, I took a deep breath and climbed on top of him. I low groan escaped his lips, and he opened his eyes. A lazy smile covered his face as he moved his hands to my hips and sat up a little.

No words were said because we both knew what the other wanted. The kiss started off slow but picked up as soon as Luke slipped his tongue into my mouth.

There was so much tension we needed to get rid of, and I didn't know if this was the right time, but I desperately needed it to be. I felt like I couldn't wait any longer.

Luke's hands were rested on my lower back, him holding me close as he started grinding in himself into me, showing me exactly how much I was needed. I moaned into his mouth, my breathing starting to quicken.

After several minutes of breathless kissing, I'd managed to slide his pants down his legs. We hadn't taken them all the way off yet, just enough so I could get a better feel of him through the thin material of my romper. Luke had already slid the straps down my arms so it was bunching up at my sides.

I removed my mouth from him to place a few light kisses on his jaw, and I made sure to roll my hips around extra slow just to tease him. My underwear was super damp already, making me extra sensitive.

"Fu-uck," he whimpered. I slowed down a little bit more, and I guess he couldn't take it because he gripped my waist and tried to get me to stop. I didn't want to though. It felt just as good for me as it did for him. "Kate, please. Baby, do something."

I basically moaned just from his words. He was letting me take control this time, and I honestly didn't know what to do. There was something I'd had on my mind for a while, but I didn't know how he would feel about it.

I decided not to overthink it as I brought my lips back to his. I could feel that he was very aroused because he was thrusting his hips up against me to find any sort of release, grunts, and whines leaving his lips every few seconds.

Without putting any thought into it, I unstraddled him and put both my legs on one side of his body. The kiss never broke as I tried to work myself into a better position to help Luke out a little.

I snuck my hand past the waistband of his boxers and he begged once more. His breathing was very shallow as I took him into my hand, pumping ever so slowly. After about thirty seconds, I picked up the pace and even twisted my wrist every so often.

By this time, Luke was a moaning mess, and I could tell he was trying to keep quiet, but I guess he couldn't be silent with all of the pleasure running through him. I tried to keep my lips on his as much as I could to muffle out his noises, but I soon got bored.

I moved on to his neck, sucking on a few different spots, but being extra careful to not leave any marks. The sounds that he was making were so hot, and I was so turned on by them. I needed to start this now before it was too late.

I stopped my movements and kissed up his neck until I was right by his ear. I whispered, "How about we try something new?" and his hips bucked upwards, thrusting himself into my hand in response.

"W-What?" he stuttered, not really knowing what I meant. I took my hand out of his boxers, and groaned at the loss of contact.

"I want to try and top. Is that something you want?" I asked.

When I looked up at him, his lip was caught between his teeth, and his pupils were extremely dilated. I kissed him once on the lips and when I came back up, I rose an eyebrow, letting him know that my offer was still open.

"Fuck, yes please," he pleaded. That was enough for me to climb back on top of him and reconnect our lips. I smoothly slip my tongue past his parted lips, deepening the kiss while he attempted to remove the romper from my body.

Just as I was about to raise up a little so he could slide the article down my legs, his door swung open.

"Hey, Luke. Lunch is re-" I got off of Luke at lightning speed, and he sat up just as fast. My eyes met with Ben's and then he looked at Luke. My cheeks were flaming, both from our previous acts and from being caught. Ben's eyes scanned the room, the scene in front of him piecing together, before leaving slowly and closing the door back.

Luke was breathing heavily next to me, and I could imagine that I was the same.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luke muttered to no one in particular. I understood that he was upset, especially because we were interrupted but also because his oldest brother probably found out about us in the worst way possible.

I climbed off of Luke's bed and pulled the straps off my romper back up my arms, and Luke pulled his pants up and zipped the fly closed.

"It's okay, Luke. Let's just go have lunch and we'll tell them afterwards. Sound like a plan?" I proposed.

"Yeah, c'mon." He huffed and grabbed my hand, leading me out of his bedroom and down the stairs. We stopped by the bathroom so we could wash our hands first, and I noticed that Luke's boner was slowly disappearing. He let my hand go right before we walked into the dining room, and we tried to look as normal as possible.

I took a seat next to Luke, and we were across for Jack and Ben. He kept giving us weird looks, and I tried my best to ignore them. I don't think Luke was doing such a good job though.

I was holding his free hand under the table throughout the whole lunch, and it was shaking so bad the entire time.

Once lunch was finally over, I helped Liz clear the table and clean up a little bit. The whole thing was extremely awkward, but Jack and Luke's parents were oblivious to it. They were all making small talk, which I did most of the participating in.

Luke and Ben were silent for the most part, but spoke every now and then.

After everything was clean, I got Luke to get his brothers from the lounge room. We led them to Luke's bedroom and had them take a seat on his bed. Ben declined, saying that he preferred to stand instead. Luke rolled his eyes but continued with the plan anyway.

"Why did you bring us up here Luke?" Jack asked curiously.

"Because we have to tell you something," he said shakily. I knew he was more nervous than me, and I would do anything to take it away, but it was now or never, and the sooner he got it over with would be the sooner everything would go back to normal.

"We?" Ben questioned. I had a feeling he already knew what we were going to say. I was sure he did.

"Yes...we," Luke confirmed.

"So, what's up?" Jack asked, crossing his legs and folding his arms across his chest.

"Well," Luke started. He was nervously chewing on his lip, and I gave him a small nod for reassurance. "Kate and I are dating," he rushed out. I took this opportunity to grab his hand, verifying Luke's statement.

"What? Seriously?" Jack's face looked to be one of complete shock and surprise, but a wide smile soon replaced it. Luke nodded. "For how long?"

"A couple of months, but we were kind of seeing each other before that," Luke mumbled out the last part, trying to draw as little attention to it as possible.

"So, does that mean that Kate is the girl you lost-" Jack didn't get to finish his question before Luke cut him off.

"Shut up Jack," he ordered, his entire demeanor changing.

"Wait, but before we left the last time you said you were still a vir-" Again, he was cut off.

"I said shut the fuck up, Jack!" Luke yelled. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I didn't know why. Ben was standing silently near Luke's dresser, watching this whole thing unfold. The more seconds that passed where the room was silent, was the more confused and curious I became.

I wasn't stupid and I could put together what Jack was about to say both times.

The last time they left was right before I lost my virginity to Luke. If he told his brothers he was still a virgin then, does that mean he was still a virgin when he offered me the lessons? How could he teach me things and not be experienced at the same time? Why did he lie?

I was desperately trying to put two and two together, but it was causing a lump to start to grow in the back of my throat. I felt like I knew exactly what was going on, but I only needed confirmation from the man himself.

"Luke, what is he talking about?"


	50. Deal

Kate's POV

Luke's face looked panicked as he tried to come up with something to say to me. I wasn't necessarily mad, just confused. I also weirdly thought it was a sweet gesture, just gone about the wrong way.

My main concern was that he technically lied to me, and it wasn't a small lie either. I let him have something that meant a lot to me because he offered to make sure I was extremely comfortable, especially with our relationship at the time. This was odd because I trusted him, but the whole time I wasn't in on his secret.

I had this funny feeling in my stomach, that I couldn't describe. I looked over to Jack, and I could see it on his face that he knew he'd messed up, that I definitely wasn't supposed to know that. Regret and guilt started to settle in his facial features, and I instantly felt bad about turning this into something bigger than it probably needed to be.

It wasn't my intention to, I was just caught by surprise, and I felt like I deserved an explanation since I was a big part of the situation.

Ben was still standing off to the side, eyes wide, but not from shock. Maybe it was from my shock. It seemed like he thought Luke had already told me, and he hadn't expected this reveal to unfold as it did.

The room was silent for a few moments, Ben and Jack staying quiet for the sake of not spilling any more unknown information. Luke, I assumed was just trying to gather his thoughts to form a reasonable explanation for me.

With every second that passed, my imagination running wild with possibilities, it was like the air was getting thicker. Luke's eyes were searching my face, trying to figure out my emotions only the way he knew how, but at this point, I was guarded. Not even I knew how I was feeling.

The agonizing silence was finally broken by Luke when he made eye contact with me.

"Come here, Kate," he directed. My eyes diverted from his to take another look at Ben and Jack. They were both watching me intently, and I couldn't help but feel like I was being silently judged by both of them.

I don't know what they knew, but I couldn't base my decision on what I didn't know, so reluctantly, I walked over to him. Once I got there, my hands were awkward swaying by my side and I was staring at my feet. He grabbed my hands into his and pulled me closer to him, and I still made no effort to make eye contact.

Luke put both of my hands into one of his and used his free hand to lift my chin so I could meet his eyes. His brothers were watching the entire exchange, their eyes glued to every move made by Luke and me.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Luke requested, never breaking our eye contact. It was so intense, his perfect shade of blue eyes peering into mine, trying to read me, but I knew he could get through.

"Yeah, sure." Jack got up first and slowly left the room, Ben following closely behind and closing the door once he'd fully exited. Luke's attention, which had never really left me in the first place, was now focused solely on me and our situation right now.

He placed a simple, brief kiss on my forehead, and my eyes fluttered closed at the feeling. It was the same one I always got, the same one I never got tired of because it was the most addicting thing I'd ever experienced. Usually, I would've smiled at the gesture, but I couldn't seem to bring myself to.

Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to swallow the lump in my throat before I spoke.

"Luke, will you please tell me what's going on? What was Jack talking about?" I asked him, a pout involuntarily covered my face. Every time some sort of drama came up, I always got the same uncontrollable feeling, and no matter how strong I willed myself to be, most of the time it didn't work and I crumbled on the brink of the downfall.

"Sit down, and I'll explain," Luke instructed, guiding me over to his bed and having me take a seat on the side. He sat next to me. Again, he picked up my hand and laced it with his own, placing a kiss on the back of my palm before resting our intertwined hands in his lap.

For some reason, I felt like he was stalling because so many beats of silence went by, leaving me wondering. Maybe he was still trying to put his thoughts into words or in a way that I would understand.

He had to know he could tell me anything. Our entire relationship was based on a long-term friendship before, and we were as close as close could get. There was still silence after about a minute, and just when I was about to ask again, Luke took a deep breath.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked me. I wasn't paying attention, as I was lost inside my own mind by now, but my eyes found him as soon as the words left his mouth. I could see the fear behind the enticing blue color, and all I wanted to know was what he was so afraid of and if I should be worried.

"Yeah...Luke, you're scaring me," I told him honestly, but that didn't break his expression. Usually, he would laugh a comment like that off, trying to lighten the mood. Something was wrong, I could tell, and as the seconds passed, I was more and more aware of that.

"I'm sorry, I just -I don't know where to start," he said, sighing afterward. What? I quickly backtracked before my mind started to go haywire. There couldn't be the two of us freaking out at the same time. We wouldn't get through the conversation without an argument resulting in one of us leaving. In this case, it would've been me.

"Just start from the beginning." I directed him. He sighed once more and lifted the back of my palm to kiss again. Then he started to softly rub the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Okay...well," he began, his eyes settling on the floor. "Do you remember the night I offered you the lessons? We were leaving that party, and it was like the third time we'd kissed." I nodded, that blurry night resurfacing and my memory becoming more clear. I definitely remembered that night, the night that changed everything.

"So, is what Jack said true?" I questioned. If we were going to do this, I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. It didn't need to be dragged out any longer than necessary.

"Yes," Luke confirmed, not meeting my eyes. "When we had sex the first time, I was a virgin too." A deep exhale left his lips and I bit my own bottom one.

Okay, well if that was all, I could stop holding my breath because it wasn't that bad. Obviously, I wanted to know why, and I was just mentally preparing myself for his answer when I asked.

"When you offered them to me, you said you were experienced." He agreed. "Why did you lie to me?" I asked genuinely. He glanced at me for a split second and sighed for the tenth time since we'd been here.

"That's a long and complicated story." He loosened up a bit on the grip he had on my hand, and I used that opportunity to slip it away from his. How complicated could it get? I figured the reason was simple but apparently not. This made my heartbeat speed up a significant amount, and the room went silent yet again.

"We have time. Tell me everything," I said, my words slow and unsure.

"I know, and I will. But, baby, you have to keep in mind that I love you and I have for such a long time," he stated. His voice had a weird tone in it, scaring me even further for what he was about to reveal. I was trying my best to keep an open mind because the last thing I wanted was a fight.

We were doing so well, and that would ruin everything.

"I know, Luke." He put his hand on my upper thigh and rubbed slowly before taking another deep breath.

"Okay..." There were a few seconds of silence before he continued. "Everything started that night."  
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Flashback (That Friday Night/Chapter 1)

Luke's POV

Kate left me on the dance floor right after Michael came. I could not be feeling like this right now, or ever. I was incredibly stupid to make out with her, but it was just so tempting and it'd been so long.

Only she could give me this feeling, one that I couldn't describe, but it was the best thing I'd ever felt. My whole body responded to the kiss like a rush of adrenaline accompanied by light fluttering in my stomach. This was not happening.

In the back of my mind, I knew I had to find a way to stop feeling like this. She was my best friend, she would never go for me, especially because I was a virgin. The only thing I'd ever done was kiss, kiss her. Wow, I was a loser.

Sex was one of the things that Kate and I hadn't really talked about. I guess it was because we were drifting apart as the days went by, growing more distant and talking a lot less. It was my fault though. I had no choice but to put my guard up because I didn't want to crush my own feelings knowing what I knew.

I was almost positive that Kate was a virgin too, and she probably wanted to lose it to some hot guy that she'd been dating for a while, who also knew what he was doing. I knew her, and I knew that's what she wanted, but I was neither of those things.

The problem was guys never really talked to her, but that was mainly because she was always with us, and we were extremely protective over her. Whoever the guy would be, they'd have to go through Michael, Ashton, Calum, and finally, me. I guessed they just couldn't be bothered.

Don't get me wrong, Kate was a beautiful girl. Probably the prettiest I'd ever laid my eyes on. Her eyes had just the right amount of shimmer to them, her skin was tan and practically glowing, her smile and laugh were addicting, and Kate just being herself was something I really loved.

Loved? No. I had a mild crush on her, obviously, but I didn't think I loved her. I hadn't really put much thought into it actually. All I knew was that my feelings were growing every day, beyond my control, and there was no way now that I could stop them.

I had no idea what I was going to do.

Instead of pondering on the subject for too long, I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was getting late, and Kate's mum asked if I could drop her off at home. I hadn't been drinking for a while for this particular reason. I only wanted to stay for a couple more hours before calling it a night.

I hurried off of the dance floor and I was headed to find somewhere to sit. Kate had already gone, and I didn't know where she was. I was bored without her. My friends were nowhere to be found either.

I knew I said I would stop thinking about her, but I just couldn't shake the feeling of her lips on mine. They were soft, timid, unsure. Of course, after a while, she relaxed into my arms and just let the kiss happen.

I wanted her to be relaxed with me all of the time. I wanted to kiss her all of the time. Wait, no I didn't. But I definitely did.

I was lost in my thoughts, somehow canceling out the music blaring from the speakers in every room. I hated my thoughts because they took me to unrealistic places, and it was just a recipe for disappointment. I had to find a way to take my mind off of her, and I would do anything.

I stood up from my place on the couch, prepared to go find at least one of my friends, but I was stopped by a guy I didn't know. I recognized him from a few other parties, and I knew that he'd graduated from our school the year before, but I didn't know why he wanted to talk to me.

He was tall, even taller than me, which was tall. He had a bright white smile and sculpted jawline. His skin was tanned, going perfectly with his hazel-colored eyes. He was dressed in all black, one of his hands shoved deep into his pockets. This looked like someone Kate would go for, definitely.

"Hey, man! What's up?" he said cheerfully. His eyes were glossed over, and I could tell he'd had a couple of drinks.

"Hi," I responded shyly, attempting to walk past him. Apparently, he wasn't done with our conversation.

"I saw you making out with that girl," he called me out. I stiffened. "Who is she? Are you two dating?" he asked, eyeing me down. He was making me uncomfortable, but I could seem to get out of his intimidating stare.

"Yeah, that was my friend Kate. No, we're not dating, we're best friends," I told him honestly. He smiled a drunken smile, and I returned it with a more uncomfortable one.

"And what's your name?"

"Luke. Luke Hemmings. You?" I reversed. I wasn't stupid enough to let him get away with a bunch of information about me and I didn't get any in return.

"Thomas Atcheson." He reached out his hand and I accepted the handshake. His grip was firm, but mine wasn't any weaker. A few beats of silence went by before he said, "Can I get with her? She's so hot."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and I gave him a weird look. He just laughed me off.

"Fuck no. You're not her type," I said harshly. I knew I was lying because he was the only someone she dreamed of. He gave me a cocky smirk, but I held the sternness in my face.

I was getting defensive over her, and that wasn't my place. It was my place to protect her and keep her safe though, and I was going to try to do that with everything in me.

"And you are?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me. "You're just the best friend. She would pick me over you any day." My teeth clenched at his words. I knew my feelings were way too deep at this point to ignore them, and I didn't want her to get away from me without a fair chance.

"I'm the one who made out with her," I recalled. It felt wrong to throw that around, but it was my only method of defense. It didn't look like it fazed Thomas at all though.

"And? I could show her things, touch her like you never could. I know you're a virgin, you look like one. She doesn't want that, she needs someone experienced like me, someone who can make her feel good," he snarled. My cheeks flamed just from his words. Who did he think he was? I was not about to just let him take advantage of her like that, I would be crazy.

"She's a virgin too," I blurted. It was a mistake, my mouth spilling the words out before I my brain could catch up to stop it. 

"Ah, is that so? Well, that'll make this more interesting," he said, a menacing smile plastered on his face and a chill laced through his tone.

"No, it isn't going to make anything more interesting because you're not going to talk to her," I told him. There was a shake in my voice that just gave away that I was scared of him. Why was I such a loser?

"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what I can and cannot do, Hemmings." I huffed at his words.

"She's not going to go for you," I mumbled, and he just laughed.

"You really think so?" he questioned, that stupid smirk still resting on his face.

"I know so. I know her better than anyone." I was doubtful of my proclamation because I knew Thomas was something Kate had been looking for. She would go heart eyes once she saw him. As usual, my eyes were on the floor, my confidence nonexistent.

"Since you're so confident about this, let's make it interesting," he proposed. My head snapped up, and my heart dropped. The last thing I needed was games.

"What?"

"You said that Kate's a virgin," he started. Oh no. "And you believe that she would never go for a guy like me, but I think the same about you." I sucked in a sharp breath. I knew he wouldn't let me out of this, he already had me trapped. "Let's make a deal."

"I'm not making a bet with you, Thomas. I can't do her like that," I told him honestly. This was way out of my character, and I didn't think I would be able to even bring myself to. I would lose, and I didn't want to deal with the repercussions of that.

"I didn't say a bet, I said a deal," he reiterated smartly. I rolled my eyes. This was actually ridiculous.

"What's the difference?"

"This isn't going to involve any money, just me, you, and her," he informed me. Again, I huffed and motioned for him to continue. "Whoever gets the virginity stays in her life. If I win, you have to go and I should never see you around here again. If you win, the same rules apply to me," he added. I swear it felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. There was no getting out of this at this point, and the only thing I could do was agree.

"Okay, deal."

We shook hands to seal it and exchanged numbers to keep track of each other. Even if Kate was to lose her virginity to me, I would never tell him, but I put his number in any way. I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair. I was about to walk away, but Thomas stopped me one last time.

"It's on, Hemmings," he said before walking away and disappearing into the crowd. What the hell just happened, and what the fuck did I just agree to?

After trying to reevaluate my life's decisions, I finally decided that it was time to go, but I had to find Kate first. I searched basically everywhere in the house with no luck. I headed to the front of the house, and my breath was nearly stolen from me. It was quickly replaced by anger and that small percent of possessiveness I had inside me.

He was talking to her. This was not happening. I walked up behind her and I'd just caught the question he asked her.

"Wanna dance?" His eyes flickered to mine and he smiles before returning his attention to her.

"No, she's going home," I answered for her. He dropped her hand, and I grabbed her other one, pulling her away from him. "Party's over. It's late. We have to go home," I said to her. She frowned.

Kate begged me to let her at least get his number, and I was reluctant but I didn't want to make it seem too obvious so I let her go. She came back with the widest smile on her face, one I hadn't seen from her in a long time. Fuck.

I got her into my car as fast as possible and I knew I had to initiate the topic of sex before it was too late. I just needed a way to ease into it.

I got her to talk to me about Thomas, and once I confirmed she was a virgin, I knew there was no way I was going to let Thomas win. She wouldn't go for me if she knew I wasn't experienced, I was well aware of that.

If I had to lie to get my way, I guessed that was just what I would do. I thought about it for a second before I came up with the most perfectly flawed idea to secure her virginity to me.

I had to admit that I was scared out of my mind to do anything, I wasn't experienced at all, and I didn't really know anything about anything. I would just have to suck it up and put on a mask of confidence so she would trust me. If I used my general knowledge, I could make this as safe as possible

I couldn't help but feel like I was using her though, and it left an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I was definitely scared to lose my virginity, but the only way I could make sure Kate would be mine and no one else's was to offer her some sex lessons.

End of Flashback  
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Kate's POV

Once Luke was finished with his explanation, more like a story, I was at a loss for words. I was staring blankly at the wall in front of me, and I wasn't even sure how I remembered to breathe. I was just trying to process everything he said.

He knew Thomas before I did, and he treated my virginity like a game. Luke of all people knew how much I valued it, and he only wanted it so someone else couldn't have it.

He lied to me for selfish reasons.

On the other hand, I understood that he wanted to protect me and he had my best interest at hand, but it wasn't his place to decide what I wanted and what was best for me. I trusted him, I put all of my trust into him and that he wouldn't lie to me.

I was trying so hard not to overreact because I'd done that too many times. I desperately needed to keep a rational mind, but this information was overwhelming. I couldn't process this right now, in the same room as him. I just couldn't.

"Babe, please say something," he pleaded. I could see him looking at me through the corner of my eye, my own vision still focused on the wall. The air was way too thick in here.

"I don't know what to say," I said truthfully. Luke stood up before kneeling in front of me, taking my hands into his. I still made no eye contact, and I wondered why I wasn't feeling anything. It was like my emotions were numb.

"Anything, say anything."

Another silence overtook the room, Luke just waiting for me to speak. All of the words I wanted to say seemed to get caught in my throat.

"A game, Luke," I whispered. I couldn't breathe. I was just replaying what Luke had said to me over and over again. I was replaying the memories of the last few months, especially the day I lost my virginity to him.

Every event of that day and leading up to that day seemed so genuine, but it was all a game? The only reason I ever agreed to the lessons was that he said he was experienced and would make sure I was comfortable. He lied to me.

He took something that meant so much to me and treated it as a game.

"Kate, honestly when it came down to it, it wasn't just a game for me," he tried to cover himself. I shook my head. "I swear. Baby, I loved you then, and everything I did was because I loved you."

Continuing to think about all of this and Luke's words now we're just making my head spin. With every second that passed, my emotions were starting to get away from me, everything starting to come crashing down. Before I knew it, a few tears slipped from each of my eyes, but my face remained expressionless.

"I trusted you, and you lied to me. You were lying to me the whole time," I stated, my voice cracking at the end. He reached up and wiped my tears. I involuntarily relaxed into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed for just a moment.

"I know, and I'm so sorry," he said. I dropped my head, his hands falling from my face. I sniffled and swallowed the huge lump in my throat, trying to get more words and some air in.

I didn't know what to think or how I should feel.

I guess it was his virginity too, but he took mine for all of the wrong reasons. That alone made me feel sick, and unsettling in the pit of my stomach, dizziness in my head.

"Luke, just-I just need some air. I can't think in here," I told him. Without a word, he stood reached for my hand. I took it, and he led me out of the door and down the stairs. I found my shoes by the front door, so I slipped them on quickly. Luke was about to follow me outside, but I quickly stopped him. "Alone. I want to be alone," I requested.

He nodded in understanding before pulling me in and leaving a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you. Please don't forget that," he said.

"I won't," I responded. I ran a hand through my hair and let or a deep sigh. My curls, which had by now fallen and become loose waves, were kind of wild especially from today's actions and the wind blowing didn't work.

I tried clearing my thoughts with pacing. The fresh air was making it easier for me to breathe, and the fact that Luke wasn't around was making my thoughts less cloudy.

My pacing soon turned into a walking, and I just walked and walked further away from Luke's house without even paying attention to where I was headed. It really helped calm me down and use my rationality to figure out exactly what I wanted to do and what I wanted to say. I knew how I felt, and I had a suggestion of what was supposed to happen from here.  
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Luke's POV

What did I just do? I watched as Kate stood on the front porch, looking out into the distance, thinking. Every second waiting for her to come back in and talk to me was agonizing, and I just couldn't sit and wait around.

I walked into the lounge room and took a seat on the couch. My heart was pounding, knowing that something was wrong. I could see it in her face, in her eyes. As soon as I was finished with my story, I could see her guard being put up. Kate was shielding herself from me.

I was stupid and selfish, but I had good intentions. I messed up, and I would do anything to fix this. I wanted her to know that it was okay to trust me, that I loved her and nothing like this would ever happen again.

It broke my heart when she started crying, but I had a feeling that she would. She'd talked to me so much about how she was nervous to lose her virginity, but it made her feel better to know I knew what I was doing and would make sure she was comfortable. I just agreed with her even though I was lying to her face.

I felt more guilty than anything.

I ran a hand through my hair shakily and let out a sigh. My thoughts were running wild and all I wanted was for her to come back inside. Just as I was about to check, Jack came and sat down next to me.

"Where is she?" he asked. That stung.

"She's outside, getting some air," I told him, sighing again. "She's been out there for like ten minutes."

"I'm sorry, mate," he apologized. "I didn't know what I said was going to cause problems." I knew he was being genuine and that he honestly didn't know. I just wished he would've shut up when I told him to. I had no hard feelings against him though.

"It's fine. I'll find a way to fix this." I meant every word, and I was secretly wishing that she would come inside already.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, trying to get a look at my face.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, sighing again for what felt like the thousandth time today. A few beats of silence went by before I stood up. "I'm going to go check on her."

"Alright, good luck," he called to me.

I left the lounge room quietly and headed to the front of my house. Once I got to the front door, I unlocked it and twisted the knob slowly, taking a deep breath. I opened the door swiftly and it revealed no one. What?

I stepped outside and looked in both directions, and I didn't see her. I went down my driveway and looked down both sides of the street, but they were empty. The air got caught in my throat, and my heart rate increased.

Where did she go?


	51. Flashlight

Luke's POV

Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I couldn't breathe. Now was not the time for me to be freaking out, but I couldn't help it. I knew I'd messed up, I was fully aware, but I didn't want it to end like this.

I didn't know how Kate was feeling. She didn't tell me. I could see her shutting me out with every second that passed by. She was putting her guard up against me.

Kate was hurt, I could clearly see that, but I couldn't read her like I was once able to. She wasn't communicating with me like she once did. She didn't even say I love you back each time I said it to her before I told her story and before she left.

My heart was racing.

I knew it from the first day, and I continued to believe it was true every day afterward, but the deal between Kate and I was the worst thing I've ever done. Maybe if I wasn't so stupid, she could still be here with me.

I was standing at the end of my driveway taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew I needed help.

I basically ran into my house, and my brother was still sitting on the couch. He was watching some football on television, but he immediately brought his attention to me.

"Is she okay?" he asked, concern spread throughout his facial features. I shook my head.

"I don't know," I sighed, panic starting to make its way back. I kept going with the deep breaths, breathing slowly so I could try to stay calm.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He stood up and he looked me right in the eyes.

"Jack," I began, taking another deep breath. "She's gone." My confession made his eyes go wide as he pushed past me and walked to the other side of the room.

"What? Are you serious?" he questions frantically as he was pacing in the spacious lounge room. I nodded, still not believing it myself. A deep sigh left his mouth. "Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know," I told him honestly. It was weird how calm I was considering the circumstances. If this were to happen a few months ago, I probably would've been crying by now.

"Luke, that's not helping. You have to know something," he said, a bite in his tone. He was panicking, just like I could've been, but both of us panicking wouldn't get us anywhere.

"Jack, I just told you that I don't know where she is. Don't you think I would've gone to find her already if I did?" I raised my voice just a little. This was stressing me out too.

Kate was the only person I'd ever felt such a strong feeling for, and it would break my heart if we broke up, especially over some dumb thing that I did. I had the best intentions with the worst idea. I knew this mistake would be hard to come back from, but I just hoped it wouldn't be over after this.

"I'm sorry, I know this must be hard for you, but we need to find her as soon as possible. Who knows how far she could've gotten to wherever she is now," he explained, finally starting to calm down.

"I know."

I had no leads to anywhere that she could be other than her house, but why would she walk there? I would've taken her if she wanted to be away from me, just to save her the trouble.

My mind was drawing blanks, and all of a sudden I just couldn't think about it anymore. My head started to hurt, a pound striking every time I blinked. I needed to sit down, so I did.

"Have you tried calling her?" he asked all of a sudden. He was right, and I wondered why I didn't think of that earlier. Even with my headache, I got up quickly and ran up the stairs. I pushed past my door, and the sight was tugging at my heart a little bit more.

Her cellphone was sat right in the middle of my bed. Of course, she left it.

I had to go find her. I didn't care if it took all night, but I wouldn't stop looking until I knew she was safe.

I didn't want to call her house because if her parents knew she was missing, they'd start freaking out, and I didn't want them going through that. I was also trying to make a decision of whether or not I wanted to tell my parents. I didn't know how they would react.

If they found out why she was upset in the first place, they would be so disappointed in me. Not even my brothers knew, but I would probably have to tell them while we were trying to find her.

I went back downstairs to the lounge room where I left Jack, and when I got there, he was talking to Ben. I assumed he was informing him of the situation so maybe he could help us.

I went over to them and Jack stopped talking, focusing on me.

"Her phone is on my bed, so I can't call her," I told him. He shook his head, and Ben sighed.

"Well, we have to go look for her Luke. We can't just stand around here trying to figure it out when she could be in danger. The sooner we get in the car and start looking, the closer we are to getting her back," he said. He was completely right, but I was in no state to drive. My head was pounding, and I was starting to get dizzy.

"He's right," Ben agreed.

"Okay, but I can't drive. I feel sick," I claimed.

"Fine, I'll drive. Let's go," Jack offered. I held up my finger, signaling them to hold on a second. I went into the kitchen and got some painkillers out of the cabinet and a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. I took them quickly and brought the water with me.

I thought I'd made it out of the kitchen without being questioned, but my mum stopped me just as I reached the door.

"Luke, you look like you're in a rush. Where are you going?" she asked, no accusation in her tone, just curiosity.

"Kate is gone, and we don't know where she is," I admitted. Her eyes went wide, the same reaction as Jack. "She left her phone, so we can't call her. Jack, Ben, and I are going to look for her now. I have no idea how long it's going to take, but we'll be back as soon as we can."

"How come she left without telling anyone?" she questioned, not understanding. The last time she saw Kate was at lunch a little over an hour ago, and she was bright and happy. I could see how that would be confusing.

"That's a long story, and I'll explain when I get back. Love you, mum," I rushed. I kissed her on the cheek and walked towards the door.

"Be careful, Luke. You'll find her if she wants to be found." Her words struck me in the heart. I knew it was going to be a long day filled with a lot of driving. I sighed, trying to prepare myself for whatever situation that could come up.

I made my way back to the lounge room to let my older brothers know that I was ready to go. Jack grabbed his cellphone off of the couch and we headed for the door.

Once we were outside, we walked over to my car and Jack took the driver's side. I took the passenger's seat, and again, we made Ben sit in the back. The feeling I had was so indescribable. It felt like my heart was in my throat.

Jack started the car and backed out of our driveway.

"Where to first?" he asks, his eyes focused on the road. Riding in this car was not helping how sick I felt.

"Go to her house. I'll check there," I said. I rested my head on the window, and I closed my eyes, trying to get rid of the dizziness in my head that was still pounding. When was this medicine going to kick in?

"Are you sure? What if she pare-" I cut him off before he could finish. I already knew what I would do if they were there, and I didn't need to keep thinking about it.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll just tell them she left something. I don't know," I groaned. My head was hurting so bad.

"I don't need your attitude, Luke. I really don't have to be helping you right now," he remarked. Again, he was right, so I was going to try to be as patient with him as possible. I just sighed.

A few minutes later, we were at her house, and I got out of the car quickly.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," I told them, and they nodded in compliance.

I walked to her front door slowly, and I took the key to it out of my pocket. I knew she wouldn't be in here, I just had this feeling, but it didn't hurt to check. I unlocked the door quickly and was met with a wave of relief once I realized her parents weren't there.

I check every single room in the house, twice, and just like I'd expected, no one was here at all. Honestly, I didn't know where she could be besides here or our friends' house. I guessed I would check there next.

I walked out and locked the door back, making my way back to my car. I got in and shut the door, resting my head against the window once again.

"So?" Jack questioned expectingly.

"She's not in there, obviously," I replied. "Go to Calum's house," I instructed immediately after.

I didn't even want to think about what Kate might've done with Calum if she went to his house. Whatever it was though, I deserved every bit of it.

I knew she wouldn't cheat on me, even if she was upset. I also knew she had the tendency to do reckless things when she was upset, but I was hoping that wasn't the case. I was hoping her loyalty to me and our relationship would be the barrier that kept this from spilling over into an even bigger mess.

I just felt awful, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With my head rested against the window, my eyes became heavier and heavier before they finally closed. In a perfect world, I would wake up and she would be right next to me.

In a perfect world, I wouldn't have made such an idiotic mistake and we could finally be happy, for once.

All of a sudden, I could hear my name being called. It brought me out of my light sleep.

"Luke...Luke, wake up," the person called. It sounded like her. I blinked a few times, the light from outside making my head hurt more than before. Once my eyes were adjusted and I was fully aware of my surroundings, I realized that I was still in the car.

"Huh?" I responded, still a little groggy. I looked ahead of me and all around the car and quickly figured out that it was Jack calling me and not the love of my life.

I groaned loudly and banged my head against the window, which was definitely a bad idea because pain shot straight to my temples, causing me to groan again.

"Ow."

"We're at Calum's house," he said. I nodded in response and got out of the car. I walked up to Calum's front door and I knocked lightly.

Joy answered the door with a bright smile, as always.

"Hi, Luke. How are you?" she asked. I loved how bright and happy she was all the time. It was like the best thing ever, and she made the best food.

"Hello, Joy. I'm doing well, you?"

"Great...So you must've stopped by to hang out with the guys? They're all in the basement," she informed me. I nodded and thanked her before she let me in, and I went directly towards where the basement door was located.

I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the bottom and when I walked into the room, I was met with a loud welcome. I tried to ignore the pain in my head so I could stay focused on what I actually came here to do.

"Luke! Hi, mate. We were just about to call you," Calum greeted. I forced a smile, and he noticed that there was something wrong almost immediately. Well, I obviously knew that Kate wasn't here, otherwise she would be down here with everyone else.

"You alright?" Michael called out before Calum could say anything. I shook my head. I didn't even want to talk about it, but I had to if I wanted to get help. "What's wrong?"

That got everyone's attention. Ashton turned around from watching the television, and Calum was a little more attentive.

"Kate..." I started, trying to catch my breath as the emotions began to break through my calm demeanor. "She, um- she left me, and I don't know where she is. Her phone is at my house, and she's not at hers. I don't know where to look," I explained, my voice cracking at the end.

"What the fuck? What did you do?" Calum asked, genuinely concerned. Ashton stood up and joined the group.

"I messed up, so bad. Guys, I might've lost her this time." It really stung in my heart to say that, but I knew it was definitely a possibility at this point.

"What happened?" Calum asked again. I rocked back and forth on my heels nervously. I obviously knew what I did was bad, and I had no idea how my best friends would react to it, but I was going to explain anyway.

"I don't know if you guys knew, but Kate lost her virginity to me." Michael gasped, but Calum and Ashton nodded because they were already aware of that fact. "Well, the only reason she did is because I offered her sex lessons, but I was lying to her about my experience because I was a virgin too," I confessed. Ashton's eyes went wide, obviously not believing me.

"So you lied to her?" I nodded. "Why?"

"Because Thomas and I made a deal," I told them. Calum sighed, I could already see the disappointment forming behind his eyes.

"You knew Thomas?" He questioned, his voice rising a little.

"Yeah..." I took a deep breath before continuing. "He made a deal with me. Whoever got her virginity first got to stay in her life." Ashton shook his head. Calum out his down.

"Luke, what the hell? That's so fucked up," Calum said finally. Uncontrollably, a tear fell from my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. One of my hands frustratedly ran through my hair as I tried to gather my thoughts.

"I know that," I retaliated.

"You took her virginity for a game?" Michael questioned. I nodded, not being able to actually say it out loud. "Luke," he sighed.

"You of all people knew how important that was to her, and you took it as a game? You had to have seen how messed up that was in the beginning," Ashton reprimanded me.

"I know, but when we had sex the first time, it didn't feel like a game to me. I actually liked her," I promised. It was a little awkward to be sharing all of this, but they were my best friends and we've shared far worst things.

"Yeah, we get that, but it was still based on a game, and Luke, you have to admit how fucked up that actually is," Ashton argued. I knew he was right and there was no getting around the fact that I took her virginity as a game. No matter how much I liked her, it was all just a game for my own selfishness.

"I know, but I just--I need to find her. I need you guys' help because I'm all out of places, and my head hurts and I feel dizzy," I told them. I really needed to keep myself together before I started full-on crying. I could feel it coming too. A lump in the back of my throat getting bigger and bigger by the second, laboring my breathing. "Do you think she'll break up with me?" I ask.

"If I were her, I would," Michael chimed in immediately.

"Michael, be quiet," Calum ordered. There were a couple of seconds of silence before he spoke again. "Honestly, I think Michael is actually right, but we all know how much Kate loves you. We see it every time she looks at you. It's crazy because you guys have something so genuine, like this weird connection that no one can break, and we can all see how much you guys love each other just by your interactions. If she loves you as much as I think she does, this won't be the end. It may take her a while to build that trust for you back, but it's not going to be the end," Calum stated, completely confident with his answer.

"So what should I do?" I asked. My eyes were getting watery, tears threatening to prick through at any moment. I definitely didn't have time to be crying.

"I say just follow your heart," Ashton suggested. "Where is a place that means a lot to you and her?"

"My bed?" I questioned. They all groaned.

"No, Luke. You have to think deeper than that," he urged. I was thinking as hard as I could, but my head just hurt so bad. I felt like it was going to explode any second now.

"Guys, I really don't know. That's why I came here for help. Can you please just help me?" I whined, on the brink of a mental breakdown. I walked around them to sit on the couch, and I just put my head in my hands. I had no idea was I was going to do, and it was starting to get dark out.

"You know her better than any of us. Just think about it. Take a minute to really think about it, somewhere that means a lot to the both of you," Ashton pushed me. With every thought that came to mind, my brain was pulsing.

I physically couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't think about it, I just couldn't.

The thoughts I had about where she might've been would lead to the question of if she's going to break up with me or not. Those thoughts would lead to me thinking about my life without her in it, something I didn't want to happen.

This entire deal thing was a lose, lose situation. If I lost the deal, I wouldn't be in her life, but if I won and she found out, there was a great possibility that she wouldn't be in my life. The second scenario was for the worst though, and I couldn't believe I was so stupid to fall into Thomas's trap.

Times like this were when I wished I was still a virgin, and maybe she would be too. There was no way of knowing what would've happened if I didn't agree to the deal.

There's no way of knowing what would've happened if Kate didn't agree to my deal.

The only thing that didn't hurt my head so much was reminiscing on us. Sure, we had our not-so-great times, but we also had some awesome times together. These were memories I would never be able to forget, even if I tried.

She made me the happiest I've ever been. I'd never smiled so much until we became a thing. I just couldn't help but be so giddy when I was around her.

She made my heart race a mile a minute, butterflies surging throughout my stomach, and a warmness spreading through my body.

She was so captivating, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

Everything was just replaying over and over again inside my head, from the laughing to the arguing, the kissing, taking breaks, all the way to the sex, the smiling, the happiness. I don't know what it would feel like to not have any of that again.

I loved her so much, she literally took away my breath. It was something I didn't even understand.

I knew the way I was feeling was something that could never be duplicated. I wasn't ready for this to end. I promised her I would fight for us no matter how hard it got, and I wasn't going to break that promise. If I just gave up, my promise would be broken.

I promised her that I would always find my way back to her, always. She promised me all of the same things. We promised...

I stood up quickly from the couch, which was a bad idea because I started seeing stars. Once I was stable again, which took a few seconds, I could see my three best friends staring at me intently.

I'd just realized the perfect place, and this was my final guess. If she wasn't here, I didn't know where she was.

"I got it," I said finally, pushing past them to get to the door.

"What? Where are you going?" Calum asked, following me. Ashton and Michael followed behind him. I went up the stairs and out of Calum's house quickly. They were all right behind me.

Once I got to my car, I went around to the driver's side, and I opened the door. I was already dark outside, which was just my luck.

"Get out," I instructed Jack. He didn't ask any questions, he just did as I told him and unbuckled his seatbelt. He got out and went around to the passenger's side, getting in quickly.

Calum came around to my side of the car as I was strapping myself in. I rolled down the window so I could hear him.

"Where are you going?" he questioned again. I could see Ashton and Michael loading into Ashton's car, prepared to follow me to my destination.

"I have the perfect idea of where she could be, so I'm going there. Follow me if you want, but I really hope this is it," I explained to him. He nodded and left my side, getting into the backseat of Ashton's car.

I didn't really know how I was going to pull off driving with a massive headache and severe dizziness, but I was going to do my best because no one really knew where this place was except me. Since the car was already started, I backed out of the driveway and headed to my final guess.

About ten minutes into the ride, Jack finally asked me the question I'd been waiting for him to ask this entire time.

"Why did Kate leave in the first place?" I'd really been trying to focus on nothing but the road because of my head, but they deserved to know because they were helping me after all.

I quickly explained to them what happened, and in my review mirror, I could see the disappointment spread out across Ben's face.

"What the fuck, Luke?" Jack scolded. I saw it coming and I deserved it. "You took a girl's virginity as a game? How could you even do something like that?"

"I was being selfish, and I wasn't thinking," I admitted honestly, letting out a sigh afterward.

"Yeah, that's pretty messed up, mate," Ben agreed. I huffed because this has been what everyone said, something I already knew.

"I know that, okay? That's why my girlfriend ran away," I said with a little bit of force in my tone. I quickly calmed down though. "She wouldn't even talk to me about it," I mumbled. It wasn't low enough for them not to hear it, but I guess they both decided not to comment on that.

The rest of the ride was silent, and I was just using this time to think everything I wanted to say through. If she wasn't in this place I had no idea where she would be.

I realized that I just could keep saying that I was sorry because that wouldn't fix anything. As Ashton said, I had to dig deeper than that. I had to spill my heart out.

I've done it multiple times before, but never in situations like these. This had to be a game-changer.

Once I passed my house, I knew there were a couple of minutes left in the ride. I supposed my brothers were confused, and I was proved right when Jack questioned our route.

"Where are we going exactly?" he asked.

"This place..." I started, trying to figure out how I wanted to explain it. "I used to go there when I had bad dreams...when Kate and I were taking a break. It's the place   
where I gave her the promise ring."

I pulled into the open grass and I parked my car there. Ashton parked next to me, and I got out.

"Do you want us to go with you? It's pretty dark out," Ashton asked, Calum and Michael got it off the car as well. I shook my head.

"No, I'll go by myself," I told them. "It'll be better if we're alone."

With that, I took off jogging in the direction of the huge wall of trees and bushes. It was kind of hard to get through them, but I'd pretty much mastered the concept with the number of times I'd done it. Once I was through, I turned the flash on my phone so I would be able to see.

I didn't know how deep she went into these woods, but I hoped she didn't go too far. I didn't know what was hiding past a certain stretch.

I walked for what must've been five minutes, just calling out her name but getting no response. My heart was pounding, and I wasn't sure if I would actually find her here after all.

Five minutes of more walking is when I tripped over something, a stick maybe? I caught myself quickly so I wouldn't fall into the leaves and dirt, and I used the flashlight on my phone to figure out exactly what it was that almost made me fall over.

I scanned the area quickly, and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of the blonde girl sitting on the forest floor in a white romper. She was twiddling a ring between her fingers, her head hung low. It was Kate.

It was a stab straight to my heart to see her with the ring off. I felt like I already knew what was coming. I didn't know if she hadn't noticed me yet, but there was a light shining on her so she must not have been paying attention to it.

"Kate..." I called out, trying to get her attention. I received no response. I called her name again, and still, there was no answer. "Baby, are you okay?" I asked, seeing if that could get her to talk to me.

It worked, but no the way I wanted it to.

"Do you think the dirt will come out of this white romper?" she asked me. "It's new, and it may be ruined," she added. I took a deep breath before kneeling down and sitting next to her. Her voice was low, lifeless.

"I don't know, Kate," I responded honestly. I reached out to touch her, and she flinched away. That was another stab into my heart. I no longer had the light just shining on her. Instead, my phone was on the ground with the light flashing upwards. "Are you okay?" I asked again, desperately trying to get some answers.

She didn't answer that. I just had this huge guilt weighing down on my shoulders. I hated seeing her this way, especially since she was normally so happy. I hated knowing that I did this to her, that this was all my fault.

"I don't know, Luke. I just hate feeling like this," she confessed, finally breaking the agonizing silence.

"Like what?" I questioned.

"Like I don't know how I feel or what I feel. I can't even cry about it because I'm so numb," she told me. Her voice cracking at the end was the end of my life. I just wanted to hold her and rid her of this feeling. I didn't want her to be like this.

"Babe-" She cut me off before I could say anything else, and when I reached out to touch her again, she shrugged me off. This wasn't going well, worst than I expected.

"Don't." She took the ring she was playing with within her hands and set it on the back of my phone. I nearly choked on the air. Kate rested her head between her knees that were pulled up to her chest. "I just want to go home," Kate mumbled.

I reached over a put a few locks of her hair behind her ear, and this time, she just let it happen.

"Alright, I can take you," I told her. Without another word, she stood and started walking back the way I came. I grabbed the ring, slipping it into my pocket, and my phone quickly so I could follow her.

I used the light on my phone to guide her path, and to my surprise, she reached for my hand. I took it and intertwined our fingers, providing her some security as she led us out of the dark woods.

Ten minutes later, we'd passed the path of trees and shrubbery, and we were out in the open field. Kate had let go of my hand, and she was walking with so much distance between us. It was about two minutes more of a walk until we got to my car, and the silence was killing me.

"Your phone is at my house," I informed Kate, just so she would know.

"It can stay there. I don't need it anyway," she said. I sighed, and I was relieved when we finally got back to my car.

Immediately everyone got out and surrounded her, showering her with hugs and questions, and I just wanted them all to stop. She needed space, mostly from me, but from everyone.

She took it like a champ though, plastering a fake smile on her face just to satisfy everyone around her. She didn't say much, only a few words here and there, but she was smiling a little.

Once everyone was done with their little reunion, we piled into our cars and headed back. Ashton was going back to Calum's house, and I was taking Kate to hers.

It was a ten-minute drive, filled with just the radio playing softly in the background.

When we got to her house, I got out and followed her to her front door. Her parents still weren't here.

"Kate.." I sighed. She looked at me for the first time tonight since before I'd told her the story. I blinked rapidly, trying to bring the thoughts back to my brain, but it wasn't working. My mouth was dry.

She turned around to unlock the door and faced me again when she was done.

"Luke, I don't know where we're going to go from here, but I just need some time to gather my thoughts. I thought I had everything figured out a couple of hours ago, but it turns out that I don't," she stated. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, not particularly liking what she was saying.

"Why won't you talk to me about it?" I asked.

"Because I need to figure this out myself. You've already told me everything I need to know." With every word she said to me, my heart was ripping in half. This couldn't be the end, I wouldn't allow it.

"Kate, please," I begged, my eyes welling up with tears. I needed someone to pinch me and tell me this wasn't real.

"I'm sorry, Luke." She placed both her hands on my chest and leaned in, pressing a light kiss to my jaw, just as a tear fell there. My eyes involuntarily closed at the sensation, on that I knew I wouldn't be feeling for a while. I was trying to engrave it in my mind just in case this was the last time.

She pulled back ever so slowly and walked backward. She didn't even give me a chance to say anything before she lightly closed her front door.

My head didn't even hurt anymore, just my heart.

I just stood there for a good few minutes, taking everything in. A stream of tears was rolling down my face as I said, "I love you," directed towards her. Everything in me was hoping she'd heard me, but I knew that was impossible.

I walked back to my car with my shoulders slumped over and my head hung low. I got in without a word, and I buckled myself in. Jack was the first to speak to me.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you guys going to be okay?"

"I don't know."


	52. Gift

Christmas Eve (About A Week Later)

Luke's POV

It'd been a rough week without her. Kate's cellphone sitting on my nightstand, reminding me of my mistakes. She hadn't tried to get into contact with me, and I was the same. She needed her space, so I was going to give that to her.

Today was the Christmas party at Michael's house, and I knew she was going to be there. Michael was one of her best friends, so she wouldn't miss it. Plus, we were doing our Secret Santa thing, and we had to exchange our gifts. Fortunately enough for me, I was Kate's Secret Santa, and I hadn't gotten anything for that yet.

Of course, I got her a Christmas gift, but nothing for Secret Santa. I had to come up with something quickly, before seven tonight. She meant a lot more to me than just a shirt or an album though, a lot more.

I just felt so out of energy, and I'd barely moved in the past few days. I only left my room for food and to shower, and sometimes not even for food. My appetite was pretty much gone.

I slept for most of the day, and I hadn't talked. No one bothered me either.

My mum came in on the first night to check up on me, and she also wanted to know what happened with Kate. I couldn't bring myself to tell her though, the wounds to my heart still fresh. It ended in me having an emotional breakdown, and I cried for half an hour.

She left once I calmed down, and I laid awake on my bed for hours until I finally cried myself to sleep.

After a week of crying every day, I was exhausted. I didn't even want to get up. I didn't know what it would feel like to see her and not speak, or just have a short conversation. It was never, ever, like that between Kate and me.

That's what I meant when I said I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I would've never wanted something like this to happen to us, especially when we used to be so close.

It was around noon, but I just laid in my bed, thinking, as I did every day for the past week. I hadn't really eaten much because I wasn't hungry, but I had something here and there.

My mum would probably call for lunch within the next hour or so, and I wasn't even sure if I would go get anything.

I slowly dragged myself out of bed so I could shower and try not to mope around all day. I didn't want to bring that kind of energy to the party.

Once I got to the bathroom, I turned on the shower to let it warm-up, and I brushed my teeth while I was waiting. When the shower was finally warm, I stripped and stepped in.

I hated being in here, and I hated how quiet it was. Kate and I used to have quite the time in this shower, just messing around, a few steamy make-outs too, but we'd never gotten to sex.

The silence gave me too much time to think, and I didn't enjoy that. Every time I thought about anything, it was related to Kate and everything we've been through together in these past few months.

All I could think about right now is how she was doing. She seemed so lifeless when I talked to her, barely paying attention to anything around her. I wanted to know if she was upset or crying.

I just wanted her to be okay. Knowing that would be enough to settle the uneasiness I was feeling.

I bathed quickly and turned off the water once I rinsed the suds from my body. I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist, and I turned out the lights before exiting the bathroom.

Upon arriving at my room, I picked out something random to wear, just a pair of black skinny jeans with a hole in the right knee and a black 'Drop Dead' muscle tee.

My hair was wet, so it needed to be blown dry. I didn't have the patience to let it air dry, and I also didn't want it coming out weird looking if I didn't at least do something to it. I grabbed the blow drier of my dresser, and I went to the mirror on my wall.

My thoughts were immediately taken to her and all of the times she's helped me dry my hair. Kate would sit on the counter in the bathroom or on my dresser, and I would stand between her legs so she could reach my head easier. Most of the time, she would take care of the back, but if I was feeling a little bit lazy, I would let her dry all of it.

Times like that would usually end in some heavy making out, and I would use every ounce of willpower in my body to restrain myself from going all the way with her. We would just lay on my bed, her on top, my hands around her waist, making out. We could do that for hours if we weren't interrupted.

I missed that.

I turned on the drier and quickly dried my hair. When I was done, I put it back, and I sat down on the edge of my bed. I took one glance at myself in the mirror, and I looked like an absolute train wreck. I haven't even been close to 'okay' within this entire week.

My house was a little too quiet, but maybe because I didn't join in on any of the activities my family was doing downstairs.

I hated being left in silence. At this point, it was the worst thing. I tried to avoid my thoughts as much as I could.

I looked around my room, and my eyes rested on the promise ring I gave her almost a month ago. I used a lot of the money I'd saved from gigs we did around the city and in others to buy it, and it was special to me. It was this thing Kate and I shared together, securing us to each other until I could marry her when the time was absolutely right.

I got up, and I went to get it. I picked it up, and I just played with it. I had the clerk at the jewelry store help me pick out something that Kate may have liked. I thought her suggestion was perfect, and luckily I knew Kate's ring size so I could purchase it without her knowing what I was doing. It was meant to be a surprise, and it worked out fairly well.

A deep sigh left my lips as I sat the ring down on top of her cellphone. I fell back onto my bed, and I just stared at the ceiling. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I surely wasn't prepared for it.

All I could hope for was the best.

After a good ten minutes of laying on my bed, trying to avoid another breakdown, I got up and decided to go downstairs. It was about lunchtime, so my mum may have had something ready.

They stopped calling me to lunch midway through this past week. I only went down if I felt like eating, which I usually didn't.

I felt like I was going through an actual breakup and not just giving her space. How would I survive if we actually did break up?

I was halfway down the stairs when Jack noticed me coming.

"Hey, looks who's back from the dead," he shouted. I walked down the rest of the stairs and gave him a small smile. As I walked past him and towards the kitchen, he gave me a light pat on the back.

When everyone did decide to talk to me, they were extra cautious with their word choices. They made me feel like a porcelain doll, fragile. My heart was pretty much that right now, but I tried to hold up a strong will.

I walked into the kitchen, and there I found my mum preparing sandwiches for lunch.

"Hi, mummy," I said, and she looked up.

"Hi, Luke. How are you feeling?" she asked, returning her attention to adding some lettuce to the stack of meat and cheese. I sat down on one of the stools in front of the island.

"I'm okay." I was less than okay, but I didn't have a word for that. Plus, it would avoid further questioning.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really. I just feel hungry today," I responded, my eyes on the granite countertop. They were pretty red and a little swollen, and I had to admit that it was kind of embarrassing.

"Well, that's good that you have an appetite today. Are you planning to go to Clifford's Christmas party later tonight?" she questioned. She slid me a play across the counter, complete with a sandwich, chips, and a cup of water. I thanked her quickly.

"Yeah, I'm going to go," I confirmed. I took a huge bite out of the sandwich and chewed it before swallowing after I'd answered her question. I was so hungry, and I hadn't eaten in two days.

Silence washed over the room, and I just took this time to eat. My mum was finishing up all of the plates, and she poured several glasses of water. Once she was done, she sat down across from me and spoke again.

"Kate's going to be there?" she said, but it came out as more of a question.

"Yeah..." I could feel the tears coming, and I was trying so hard to hold them back.

I had no idea why I'd been so emotional lately. Maybe it was because I knew there was a possibility that she wouldn't take me back. Maybe it was because I knew I would never feel her lips on mine ever again. Maybe it was because I would never get to see her smile, I would never again be the cause of the smile that I loved so much.

I'd really screwed up.

"Are you sure you want to go?" she asked. She reached out across the table and placed her hand on top of mine. I started taking deep breaths, the only thing that would keep my emotions at bay.

"Yeah, I'm still going to go. My friends are there," I explained. Really, I was only going to see her. Of course, my friends matter to me too, but she was my main priority. I hadn't seen her in a week. I hadn't touched her in a week. I hadn't seen her smile in a week.

I desperately wanted to know how she was. I didn't want her to be like I was, crying and everything. She didn't deserve any of that. I wondered if she told her parents. I wondered if her parents were comforting her as she needed. I knew she was upset, and my chest tightened at just the thought of that.

I wish I could be the one to hold her and take all of the pain away.

"Okay, Luke. Just be careful. I don't know what happened between you and Kate, and you don't have to tell me if you don't wish to, but I hope you guys can work things out. Everyone is rooting for you both," she said calmly. I ran a hand through my surprisingly neatly styled hair and let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah..." There were only about five more hours until I would finally get to see her, to see how she was doing. I also had that same amount of time to find a gift, and I didn't know where to start.  
.  
.  
.  
Kate's POV

I was curled up into a ball on my bed, just laying there while more tears slipped out of my eyes. I was so tired of crying, and I just wanted to stop, but I had all of this built-up frustration that needed diffusing.

I hadn't stopped crying since a few days ago when my parents left out of town for an impromptu business meeting. They said they didn't know if they would be back before Christmas or not, and that made me really upset. I'd never not spent Christmas with them.

They gave me my present early though, and just to my luck, it was a new car. I cried out of happiness because of it at the time, but I knew better than that. I didn't want them to go. I didn't want to be all by myself, left alone with all of my thoughts.

I was doing really well with the whole not crying thing, and I was sure that I would make it past without doing so. That obviously didn't happen. 

I couldn't control my mind from running wild anymore, especially at night. It would always replay all of the fun or intimate times that Luke and I shared together, by ourselves. I started to question everything.

Was he even being genuine then? When did he realize what he was doing was wrong, and why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he wait so long to tell me, and would he still have if Jack hadn't blurted anything? Why did I feel so empty?

I hadn't eaten anything in days because I didn't feel like it. I just felt sick all of the time, and I only left my bed for showers.

I was pretty sure I looked awful, but no one would see me anyway, so I didn't care.

Suddenly, I remembered Michael's party later on tonight. I was his Secret Santa. I got him a Metallica shirt and some black skinny jeans with holes in the knees. I'd also picked him up a snapback and some bright orange hair dye.

He'd mentioned dying his hair before, but I wasn't sure if he would actually go through with it. I personally thought it would look great on him, so I hoped me buying the dye would give him the little extra push he needed.

I sat up slowly from my fetal position and found the light to be pouring into my room. I squinted until my eyes were fully adjusted, and once they were, I felt a full force headache coming along.

"Ow." I complained to myself. My throat was sore and my voice was practically gone. I felt my stomach growl, but I ignored it. I didn't really feel like having any food.

I laid back down, and I just started crying again. I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried and whenever I thought about Luke, the tears just spilled out even more, even faster. I hated feeling like this. It felt like there was a hole in my chest.

I just cried until I fell asleep again. Sleep was the only way I could escape all of the pain, and even then, he still lingered in my occasional dreams.

I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I just knew that it hurt a lot. No matter how much I bathed, I felt dirty, like every inch of my skin that he ever covered with his touch or his lips were permanently tainted and there was nothing I could do about it.

I didn't know if I could ever trust Luke again, but I knew that I loved him so much.

I felt betrayed because he blindsided me. Luke used to tell me everything, and I didn't understand why he just couldn't tell me that Thomas was bad news and explain the situation. Maybe then, I could've stopped it and all would've been well.

A small part of me felt like Luke actually wanted to play those games though, otherwise, he would've done something to stop it. That was the only other explanation I could come up with.

I somehow knew that me choosing to fall for Luke again instead of just trying to move on would end up with me hurt, again. I didn't even know if I would have him as a friend after this. I could lose my best friend over this, and that scared me.

A few hours passed, and I finally decided to get out of bed. My eyelids were swollen and heavy from all of the crying, and there was just a little bit of redness. I was going to do my best to get rid of it with some steam so no one knew I'd been crying as much as I had been.

Michael's party was in less than two hours, so I had time to do everything. I already had his gift-boxed, wrapped, and ready, so I didn't have to worry about that.

I walked into my bathroom, and I turned on the shower, waiting for the water to warm up. I brushed my teeth and washed my face in the meantime. I also made a mental note to myself to let a hot cloth rest on my eyes for about ten minutes to reduce the swelling and discoloration.

Once the shower was hot and ready to go, I hopped in. My mum and I bought some new fragrances while we were out shopping at the mall last weekend for gifts, and I decided that this would be the day I tried out one of them. I'd obviously never used it before, and it was very different than what I usually used, but it smelled really good so that was a plus.

I bathed a couple of times before rinsing off and washing my hair with a new shampoo. Again, it'd smelled way different than anything I'd ever used before. Once my hair was clean, I washed the shampoo out, and I conditioned. After finishing all of that, I rinsed everything off and out one final time, and I cut the water off and got out of the shower.

I grabbed my towel and wrapped it securely around myself. Before I left the bathroom, I took a quick look at myself in the mirror. I thought I would see my reflection and cringe, but I actually looked refreshed, contrary to every other day this past week. My skin had a natural glow to it, and I felt somewhat better.

I turned out the lights to the bathroom and headed back to my room. I used a cotton shirt to partially dry my soaking hair and a blow drier for the rest. When all of my hair was dry, I put on some lotion and my undergarments.

I went to my closet to find something to wear, and I was having a hard time choosing. I just went with the band t-shirt Ashton got me last Christmas and a pair of denim shorts, nothing too fancy or fancy at all. I slipped on my white converse and I was almost ready to go.

I checked the time, and I had a good half an hour left to get ready. I decided to just leave my hair in its naturally loose, wavy texture because it didn't look bad for once. Plus, it would take way too long to actually do it.

I put on the smallest amount of mascara and a little bit of lip balm because my lip was incredibly dry and chapped. That was all I really needed. I was basically ready to go. I just had to grab Michael's present and my car key, and I would be on my way.

I'd left the gift underneath the tree in my living room. Luke had helped me decorate it one day when my parents were out at lunch or something. That ended in some making out on the couch but was ended abruptly when Calum burst through the door. His face when he saw us was the funniest thing ever.

We'd then gone to Luke's house, and since the Hemmings' tree was already up, Luke bought a small one for his bedroom, and we decorated that one.

I grabbed Michael's gift quickly, and I went towards the door, also grabbing my car keys off of the hook as I passed. I walked down the driveway to my car, and I unlocked it before getting in. I put the rectangular-shaped box on the passenger's seat, and I buckled in prior to backing out of the driveway.

This was my first time driving my new car.

Driving reminded me of when I drove Luke and me back from town. He was asleep with his head rested against the window and soft snores sneaking past his slightly parted lips. He was holding the ice to his face, and even with it being beaten up, he looked so peaceful and flawless.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to Michael's house, and once I finally arrived, there were already about five cars spilling in front of the driveway onto the side of the street. Luckily, the street Michael lived on was wide enough so that cars could be parked on the street.

Without paying much attention, I turned my car off and grabbed Michael's present from off the seat next to me. I got out, and I immediately recognized Luke's car at the very top of the driveway. Calum's car was behind his and Ashton's car was in front of mine.

I loved Clifford's annual Christmas party because everyone was invited. All of Calum's immediate family was there, all of Ashton's, and all of Luke's. Usually, my parents and I would be here together, but unfortunately, they were out of town, which meant I had to spend Christmas Day alone.

I tried to keep a positive attitude in the midst if all of this because I wanted to have a good time. This was a party after all, and I deserved to enjoy myself.

Taking a deep breath, I used my free hand to knock on the front door. Michael's mum, Karen, answered. She gave me a warm hug and smile, inviting me in quickly. She was always so nice, and I really loved her.

"Kate, you get more and more beautiful every time I see you. It's been so pleasant to watch you grow into the wonderful young lady you are today," she complimented me with a smile. I nodded, and a wide smile broke out onto my face.

"Thank you, Karen. And thanks for the invite to the party," I responded, my tone having a lot more life in it than a few hours ago.

"Of course, dear. You're always invited. Will your parents be joining you tonight?" she asked. My heart that I'd temporarily safety-pinned back together just for tonight was slowly falling apart and it was just the beginning of the night.

"Oh, um, no," I stuttered. "They left for an important but impromptu business trip a few days ago." She frowned.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Karen pulled me in for another hug, but honestly, I didn't need it. I was okay for now.

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

"Are you going to be spending Christmas alone?" she questioned, and I nodded. Karen then added, "Michael told me that you and Luke were in a relationship, so I'm sure he wouldn't allow that." I winced, but she didn't notice. The way this was going, I didn't think I would make it through the night.

"Yeah, and Luke and I are..." I trailed off, not exactly knowing how to explain the situation we were in. This caused Karen to frown again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," she apologized, but I just brushed it off.

"No, it's okay." This conversation I was having with her was getting more awkward with every second I stood there talking to her. I had to find a way out before I started crying, and I could tell she felt the same way.

"Alright, but just know that you're always welcome here," she informed me, also handing me a Santa hat to put on my head. I thanked her and slipped it on quickly, letting the white puffball flop over to the side. I hugged her one last time before leaving to go find my friends.

First, though, I put Michael's gift down under the Christmas tree in the lounge room. We would be exchanging gifts later.

I checked upstairs in Michael's computer room first, and it was a lucky guess because there sat the four of them just chatting about. Once I opened the door the conversation seized, and my eyes met with Luke's instantly.

He got up, and for a second I thought he was coming over to hug me, or kiss me, or something, but instead, he walked straight past me and out of the door without a word.

The room was silent for a bit before Calum got up and walked over to me. He didn't even say anything, he just engulfed me into his arms, giving me the best hug ever. It was truly something I'd needed right now, and I was glad he recognized that. He left a very gentle kiss on my forehead before letting me go completely.

Next, was Michael. He also gave me a big hug and finished it off with a kiss on my cheek. Ashton was last, and he embraced me comfortingly. Just to top Michael and Calum, he kissed me on both cheeks and my forehead. This made me smile. I considered them all to be like my brothers, and it felt good to know they were there for me when I needed their support.

I waved to the guys, not trusting my voice at the moment. I couldn't believe Luke left the room without saying anything to me. A simple "Hi." would've been just fine, but he went with the option of avoiding me completely.

I took a seat next to Calum, and the room was just silent for a couple of minutes, us all trying to see who would break the silence first. It was Calum.

"How are you feeling, Kate?" he asked genuinely. It'd been a while since I'd spoken to anyone, so this was our time to catch up, even though there wasn't really anything to tell.

"Not great, but I wanted to have a good time tonight, so that's why I came." I answered honestly. I could tell they were being extremely careful with me because no one had made a joke yet.

Usually, the room would be full of laughter by now, but it wasn't. Everyone was quiet.

"Alright, well, we'll make sure that happens," Calum promised. I was just about to respond when the door to the room we were sat in opened.

It was Luke, and he looked a lot different than when he left. His eyes were red, along with his nose and cheeks. He cleared his throat and sniffled before entering the room and returning to his seat.

Once he sat down, his gaze directed to the floor, him not making any effort to look at anyone.

The room was uncomfortably silent, as the watches of our friends shifted back and forth from me to him, trying to gauge our emotions. I didn't know if I should've tried to talk to Luke or not, but I made the impulsive decision to just stay quiet in my seat.

Michael was the first to speak.

"So... Um, is anyone up for a game?" he asked us. Calum and Ashton agreed, and that's how we started up the infamous game of Truth or Dare.


	53. Mistletoe

Kate's POV

"Alright Kate, it's your turn," Calum called me out. So far everyone had taken a few turns except for Luke and me. We just kind of watched everyone else have their fun. I already knew that I didn't feel like getting up, so I was going to pick the truth. I tried to mentally prepare myself for whatever he decided to ask me.

"Okay.." I looked around the room, and my eyes landed on Luke. His chin was rested in the palm of his hand, and he was barely paying attention. He looked so out of it. I tried not to stare for too long because I didn't want to be caught doing that. I wasn't ready for that amount of awkwardness.

"Truth or dare?" Calum asked. I began to speak, already knowing what I was going to pick.

"Truth," I declared, with a little smile at the end. Calum smiled back, and Michael shook his head.

"Wow, Kate you're so lame. The pretty princess is always going to pick truth," Michael joked with me, causing me to laugh because that definitely wasn't the case.

"No, I would've picked dare, but I'm just too lazy to get up right now." This made everyone in the room laugh, including Luke. I had to make a mental note in my head to talk to him. I had no idea what I would say, so I needed to get that together as well.

"Alrighty then," Calum started. He looked up to the ceiling, trying to come up with something good enough to ask me. "Is it true that you had your first kiss behind the dumpster at school with Jacob McLawton in year nine?" My eyes went wide, and I shook my head rapidly.

"No, when we went behind that dumpster, he was going to kiss me, but I ran away because I was scared when he closed his eyes and started leaning in. He was so mad the next day at school, but I tried to stay away from him because he was kind of insane." The end made me giggle a little bit, but it was true. That kid tried to throw his food on me the next week, but luckily, I dodged it and it all landed on the floor.

"So, who was it with?" Michael chimed in. My cheeks flushed a bright pink before I responded. I looked over to Luke for the tenth time tonight to find that he was already looking at me. His stare sent chills throughout my body.

"Um..it was with Luke. I don't know if you guys remember, but it was in the photo booth at that laser tag place we went to a couple of years ago," I explained briefly.

"Woah," Michael exclaimed. "So you and Luke have a long history then?" I was just about to answer, but Luke choked. All attention was turned to him, but he masked it with few coughs.

I make the quick decision to change the subject since I'd answered my truths, and I directed my question to Michael. "Mikey, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he answered quickly and confidently. I took a second to think of something, and then I got the best idea.

"Okay, I dare you to get Jack and Mali under the mistletoe downstairs." Ashton snickered as Calum made a weird noise. Then, we all started laughing, including Luke. Michael got up and we all followed him. He trudged downstairs, and the rest of us just stayed behind the wall to watch from afar.

I suddenly felt like a little kid because this was something we used to do before we were even teenagers. We would pull different pranks on our family members and such, just to have a laugh.

Ashton, Calum, Luke, and I all watched as Michael started talking to Luke's brother and Calum's sister. He was charming them into following him, I could tell just by his hand gestures. When they actually started following him is when I got surprised.

He led them straight to the mistletoe, and once they were standing under it, they didn't even notice. Michael had to point it out to them. Once they both looked up to find it, they were baffled.

Mali-Koa covered her mouth, still staring up at the green leaf. Jack was just kind of standing there, a shy smile on his face. That was odd to see because Jack was never shy. He was actually quite the charmer.

Michael encouraged them, so Mali being the fierce girl that she is, pulled Jack in by the shoulders and planted a kiss right on his lips. He responded to it quickly by resting his hands on her hips. The kiss lasted for about ten seconds before Michael called them out, making Mali stop and laugh.

I could see the bright red of his cheeks all the way from where I was standing as Michael walked away from them. Calum was stood with his mouth open, but the rest of us just laughed our butts off. We ran back upstairs so we wouldn't get caught, and even then, we weren't done laughing.

I literally couldn't believe that'd just happened. Never in a million years would I have expected for Mali-Koa Hood to initiate a kiss with Jack Hemmings. I didn't think she would do it, but she's bolder than I thought.

Once we returned to Michael's computer room, we continued to talk about the kiss that just happened. Luke excused himself once again and I just engaged in conversation with the other boys. I was actually having fun, and I was smiling some, which was making me feel a lot better.

Thirty minutes passed, and the adults called us down so we could exchange our Secret Santa gifts. Luke still wasn't back, but we just went down without him. The adults have gathered around, sitting on the couches with different presents in their laps. They'd already opened theirs, and everything looked nice.

We found Luke already down there with them, and he got up once he saw us coming towards where he was sitting. Collectively, we went over to the nicely decorated Christmas tree, and we all found the boxes with our names on them.

Mine was a more rectangular box, and when I read the label, it informed me that this gift was from Luke. I didn't have to look at him to know he was staring at me as I took a seat on the rug in front of the large tree. Michael sat next to me, Calum next to him, Luke next to Calum, and Ashton sat in between Luke and me.

Michael was the first to open his gift, and the smile on his face when he pulled all of the items out was priceless. He thanked me a million times and attacked me with a hug. His parents laughed at him, but he didn't care.

He held up the bright orange dye and said, "I'm doing this tonight," excitedly.

"No you aren't," his mum quickly interjected. He frowned, but it was quickly replaced with another one of his signature bright smiles as he looked back over all of the things I bought him. He thanked me one last time before we moved on to Calum.

His gift was from Ashton, and it was just some new strings for his bass guitar and Drop Dead shirt.

"Aw, how'd you know Ashton?" Calum remarked, causing Ashton to smile.

"It's because I'm a great best friend," he responded in a caring tone. "Bring it in bro," he added. Calum went in for the hug but it was cut short by Lauren, Ashton's younger sister.

"Ash, you're being extra again," she huffed. Everyone in the room laughed, and the two boys pulled away. Lauren was always so sassy. It was cute for her age and extremely funny at the same time.

"Fine..Luke it's your turn," Ashton said. Luke gladly began to rip open the wrapping paper, and he took the top of the box off. His gift was from Calum, and he got Luke a new beanie and journal to keep all of his song lyrics in.

Luke thanked him quietly, and it wasn't because he was trying to be quiet. It was more because his voice was pretty much gone, and he didn't want it to crack. I felt bad because I was the cause of that. 

Next was Ashton, and he opened his present with a big smile on his face. It was from Michael. He'd gotten him a pair of drumsticks with "Ash XX" imprinted at the bottom, and he also bought him new glasses frames. I found that cute, and when Ashton tried them on, he looked so sophisticated.

"Thanks mate!" Ashton exclaimed, giving Michael an air high-five since we were sitting across from him.

"Don't mention it," Michael replied selflessly.

Finally, it was my turn, and everyone's eyes were on me. I was mostly nervous because I had no idea what Luke would've gotten me, and I really wasn't prepared to find out. I would've felt a lot better about it if we didn't have all of this drama going on, but it was too late to go back now. Everyone was waiting for me to open the gift, and I couldn't help but feel trapped.

Slowly, I tore the paper off of the small box, and once it was all gone, removed the top. I couldn't see exactly what was inside because of the red and green tissue paper, but I took that out quickly to find a ring.

I picked it up to examine, and I immediately recognized it as the promise ring Luke gave me almost two months ago. My gaze shifted to him, and he was watching me in anticipation. I continued going through the box, and I found my phone inside next, followed by a note.

I picked it up and opened it carefully. It read:

Kate,

I know we haven't talked about any of this like we should have, but I just wanted to start off by saying, I love you and I have for a while now. Ever since I kissed you that first time, I knew that you had a special hold on my heart that I couldn't shake no matter how hard I tried. I've wanted you since I was about fifteen, and to be perfectly honest, you were worth the wait. I love everything about you, and I couldn't have been happier when I found out the feelings were reciprocated.

Now, I know I've messed up, but if you could find it anywhere in your heart to forgive me, I would never take you for granted again. I'm so afraid of losing you, and I couldn't begin to imagine my life without you in it. I'm not sure what possessed me to participate in Thomas' bet other than the fact that I didn't want him to hurt you. Even though he still did, I couldn't watch you cry over him stealing your virginity and throwing you to the side once he was done.

It wasn't my intention to use you, baby. I wanted that day to be as special as possible for you because I knew it was something you would remember forever. It was never just a game to me. After a while, I couldn't deny the butterflies that went wild in the pit of my stomach every time I did something as simple as looking at you.

Ever since that first lesson, I knew that whatever I was feeling for you was something bigger than myself. I didn't understand, and I definitely couldn't explain it. If I didn't even know what was going on with myself, I surely didn't know how I was going to tell you, so I hid it. I tried my best to hide the fact that I was in love with you. I couldn't believe that I was in love with my best friend. I didn't even want to admit it to myself because I was scared of the strong emotions you evoked out of me. I told myself it was just a crush, a small crush that I could get over.

I had no idea what to do, but I knew I needed more of it. I absolutely loved the rush of adrenaline I always felt when you were even just in the same room as me. I still feel that today, and I know it sounds crazy but you make me dizzy in the best way like my head is stuck in the clouds. I couldn't ever get enough of you, and every time we kissed, my attachment to you grew stronger and stronger.

I tried to go as long as I could with suppressing my emotions, but the day I lost my virginity to you was the day I knew that it was more than that stupid bet, a stupid crush. I wasn't going to be able to let you go even if I wanted to. I didn't even know if you liked me, but I wanted every inch of you. No, I needed it, and there was no going back.

Even if there was a day that passed and we didn't talk, I couldn't get you out of my head. I found myself thinking about you every second of the day. Playing didn't even help take my mind off of the thought of you. No one could know about me feeling like this, which is what I kept telling myself, and I tried to force it all backdown. I didn't want to believe that any of this was happening to me. After all, you still "liked" Thomas, and I wanted to support your decisions as a best friend.

I wouldn't have ever considered using you in any way, and I swear that all of my actions and words were genuine. I can't even remember the last time I could honestly say that I only liked you as a friend. With every day that passed, I couldn't continue to keep it down. We'd had sex again, and we were kissing almost every day.

Late-night calls and texts were the things that got me the most. All I wanted to do was add an honest "I love you," at the end because it just felt right. I couldn't bring myself to because my nerves would take over. One day, it all became too much, and I couldn't stop myself from saying those words that meant so much to me.

I remember that day so clearly. My entire mind was blank, and the only thing I could think of was how much I loved you. I can't even to this day describe my feelings for you, but I just want you to know that I never want it to go away. I always want to feel like I do because of you. Baby, it's the best thing I've ever felt.

I never meant to hurt you, Kate. I couldn't do that to you consciously. You are everything to me, and I love you so much. I feel bad knowing I'm the reason for your tears. I've been the reason for them a lot lately, and I desperately want to change that. I don't know how long it's going to take for us to get back to where we were, but I'm willing to try if you decide to forgive me for my mistakes.

I understand the mental and emotional toll this as taken on you, and I'm really sorry for causing you all of this pain. Kate, I want to try and work this out as long as you still love me because I feel like we can be so happy. I just know that I'm so happy when I'm with you, the happiest I've ever been.

Finally, I just want to say that there's still a lot of things that have gone unsaid, but you can talk to me whenever you're ready. From now on, we're going to go at your pace because you're worth waiting for. I love you, and I'm not ready to let you go. I'll do whatever it takes baby girl.

\- Luke

My eyes were brimmed with tears by the time I finished Luke's handwritten letter. It felt like all of the air in the room was gone, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe.

This was almost everything I'd needed to hear within this whole week, and he was right when he said there were still things that needed to be discussed. I wasn't at all prepared for this. I didn't even know what I would say to him.

With every second passing, my heart got tighter and tighter inside my chest. I could feel all of the emotions I'd tried to combat tonight start to resurface. They were advancing fast, and I knew that when they finally did hit, it would be like I wave washing over me, drowning me.

I looked at him, and I could feel the stares of everyone else on me. There was no way I could react to this letter in front of all of these people. I had to get out of here now before I had a major meltdown.  
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Luke's POV

I watched as she put the opened box down in front of her, the letter I wrote still being gripped firmly by her fingers.

She looked at me, and her eyes were watery. We locked gazes for the longest time before she blinked and some tears rolled down her cheeks.

I was completely aware of everyone staring at us, and I just wished I wouldn't be smart enough to save this for a more private time. I thought she would read the letter and be happy that I was honest with her, but it didn't seem that way by the look on her face.

I made her cry...again.

"Um," she managed to say. "Excuse me." She stood up and raced for the door, not saying another word. Everyone was looking at her until she was finally out of the door.

I didn't even try to go after her.

I figured I would give her the time to cool off before I tried to talk to her. I just wanted her to be okay, I wanted us to be okay.

I felt extremely guilty, just because of everything. The whole reason we were in this mess right now was because of me. If I wouldn't have agreed to the deal, and if I wouldn't have come up with a deal of my own between Kate and me, none of this would be happening right now.

If I wouldn't have devalued her virginity enough to play with it like a toy, we wouldn't be in this predicament.

Instead of saying anything myself, I just ignore the stares from everyone and I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my head between them. I was officially all out of ideas, and I didn't know what my next step would be.

The awkward tension in the room was soon replaced by laughter and happiness. This wasn't where I wanted to be right now. It was the exact opposite of how I felt inside, and I just wanted my bed. I didn't even know why I left there and decided to come here in the first place.

Shortly after everyone returned to whatever they were doing before the big Secret Santa reveal, Calum came over and sat down next to me. Ashton and Michael had already gone back to the computer room to play this game Michael was going on and on about. Usually, I would've been at least a little interested, but I just couldn't bring myself to be, not today.

Calum, out a hand on my back and rubbed up and down. It was sort of soothing in a way. It was also good to know that he didn't completely hate me for taking advantage of my girlfriend and his best friend.

I looked up at him.

"How're you doing mate?" he asked me. I had t really talked to him all night, only a few words here and there. To be fair, I hadn't really talked to anyone.

"I'm so fucking tired and sad. I just want to go home. I just want Kate back," I groaned. Luckily, my feelings were numbed out by now. I'd already had two breakdowns while I was here, so I was out of tears.

"I know, but honestly, Luke, you can't blame her. Imagine if it were you in her position. No one is gonna take something as huge as losing their virginity by game unknowingly too lightly. She has the right to be fucking pissed off," he explained. Calum was just telling me things I already knew, but I decided to just listen. If he knew anything that would help me get her back, I wanted to know as well.

"Cal, I know. I know I messed up, and I regret it with everything in me. I love her so much, but I don't know what else to do," I whined, putting my head back in between my knees. I lied to myself when I said that I was out of tears because I could feel the knot forming in the back of my throat.

"I know that you love her, and she clearly loves you too. You just need to talk to her, and none of that 'I'm sorry' bullshit. You guys need to clear the air, make sure you're on the same page with how you both feel about each other. You actually have to talk about this situation because there's no getting around it. This is too major of a thing to just let it blow over. The only way it's going to be on its way to being fixed is if you physically talk it out and make sure she knows that you regret all of the deals and you won't ever pull any fucked up shit like this again. You also have to make sure she knows that you can't guarantee that she's not going to cry, but you're going to do everything it takes to keep her as happy as you possibly can," he told me. It was weird getting lectured by Calum because I always thought of him as the more childish one, but he could be insanely serious when he needed to be. He didn't give too bad advice either, and it worked...most of the time.

"Okay," I agreed. "So do I go talk to her now? I don't even know where she went. I just hope she went home," I huffed, standing up. Calum followed me as I made my way to the door. It'd been a good half an hour since she left, so whenever she decided to go, she should've made it there by now.

"Yeah, go for it," Calum encouraged. I nodded and opened the front door. I walked out and to my car, but just before I got in Calum yelled adding, "Good luck, mate. She loves you." That made me smile.

It warmed my heart to know that my friends were still here to support me even in my worst times. I really needed it at this point.

I closed my car door and put the key in the ignition, turning it and giving the car a few seconds to warm up. Once it was good, I back out of Clifford's driveway and into the road, starting my journey to her house.  
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Upon my arrival, I turned off my car and got out, locking it for security. I took a deep breath before walking to her front door and I took another deep breath before I knocked. I had my key, but I just thought it was more appropriate at this time to knock instead of just barging in.

It took a good minute before the door slowly opened. Behind it was Kate, and she looked normal. I couldn't tell if she had been crying honestly, but I was trying to calm myself down in preparation for what I knew was ahead of me.

For a few seconds we just stared at each other, but I couldn't take the silence anymore, so I broke it.

"Hey, I really need to talk to you," I rushed out. She didn't say a word. Instead, she stepped to the side and invited me in silently. I walked in just enough for her to shut the door.

It was extremely awkward because we were just standing in the middle of her foyer, staring at each other for a couple of minutes. Then, she did something I thought would never happen again.

Kate walked forward and grabbed a fistful of my shirt on both sides, burying her face into my chest. It was so unexpected that I didn't even know what to do with my hands. I thought this one action from her would be the start of us getting back on track. That is until I started hearing muffled whimpers from her.

My eyebrows involuntarily scrunched together out of confusion, but mostly concern. Then, she just started full-on crying. I had no idea how to react to that. Obviously, I was supposed to comfort her and make sure she was okay, but we weren't exactly in that place of our relationship right now.

The only good thing about this situation was the fact that she was finally showing me some kind of emotion. Lately, she'd just been so cold, not like herself. She wouldn't let me get through to her, should tell me exactly how she felt.

Kate was crying so hard into my chest, her sobs sounded so pain-stricken. To hear and see just how upset she actually was, was heartbreaking. I let her cry, I wanted her to get it all out.

After about a minute, I finally relaxed as I normally would've been, and I wrapped my arms around her securely. This just made her cry even harder, so I rubbed her back as comfortingly as I could.

I wanted her to know that I would be there for her no matter what, most of all, when she needed me. I wanted her to know that I could always be someone she could confide in. I wasn't going to go anywhere.

"Shhh," I hushed after humming in her ear a bit, trying to get her to calm down. I would've kissed the top of her head, but I didn't know if she'd like that or not. I was so unsure of myself, of us, these days. It felt like all of the little bit of confidence I had was gone.

"It just hurts so much, Luke," she choked out, her voice breaking once she said my name. I'd never witnessed her breakdown as badly as this, some of her panic attacks would come close and the Thomas thing, but it's never been this bad before. I had no idea what to do.

"I know, baby. It's all going to be okay soon," I tried to console her. The truth was, I didn't really know if we would be okay or not. I just hoped I was right.


	54. Talk

Luke's POV

Kate cried for a solid ten minutes more, and when she was finished, I led her to the couch so we could sit down and talk. I didn't know what I was going to say. I'd tried to plan it out before I came over, but now I was drawing blanks.

She sat close to me, so close that our legs were touching. It was such an odd concept to me at this point because it felt like I hadn't seen her in so long. Honestly, I just wanted to cuddle, but there were more important things that needed to happen right now.

Kate let out a deep sigh after another minute passed of me trying to figure out what to say. I reached over to put my hand on her upper thigh, but I ultimately decided against that move and retracted quickly.

A few more beats of silence went by before I just asked what was really on my mind. I wanted to start this whole thing off slowly.

"How are you feeling?" I questioned, trying to make the concern in my voice evident. I wanted her to know that I cared, a lot more than she would ever know or understand.

"I don't know," she answered simply. I didn't think she was being honest, but that's what I needed right now. We both had to lay all of our cards on the table, no more secrets.

"Kate, you just had a breakdown, and you know we need to sort this out. Please talk to me," I pleaded. This wasn't going to get anywhere if either of us were being difficult. It was never hard for us both to convey our feelings towards each other once we actually did get into a relationship, but I could understand why it may've been hard now.

She reached over and placed her hand on top of mine, which was unexpected. It sent a strange tingling feeling up my arm, not like the one I usually felt. It was better, and I had no idea why.

"Luke, I love you, but I don't know if I can ever trust you again," she finally replied. Her words stung, a lot. It was definitely not something I wanted to hear, but we were getting somewhere.

"What?" I questioned, only slightly confused. "Of course you can trust me, you know that."

"You said the same thing at the beginning of our lessons, but you were lying to me the whole time. How do you think that makes me feel? It sucks, Luke, so bad." Her voice cracked in the middle of her sentence, and I could tell she was trying to hold everything in. I don't think I could emotionally handle her crying again tonight.

"I wasn't lying to you," I tried defending myself. "Everything I've ever said to you has been honest, everything. All of the 'I love you's, all of the kissing and touching, it's all been genuine. All of those feelings were real." I looked over at her, and her face was blank like none of this was fazing her. She'd seemed to be that way since all of this blew up, emotionless, until half an hour ago.

"I get that, but your initial intention wasn't. It was just to take my virginity so some other guy wouldn't have it, and Luke, that's honestly so messed up," she said, her voice still wavering a bit.

"Yes, and I will admit that I went about it the wrong way, but I was just trying to protect you. I didn't want you to get hurt," I countered. My voice raised slightly without me meaning for it to, and it scared me. This could easily turn into something that would really hurt our relationship instead of helping it.

"Then, you should've just told me. This all could've been avoided if you would have just been honest with me from the start. We were best friends, and we were supposed to tell each other everything." My head dropped.

I knew she was right, and I knew that I'd messed up, but it made it seem a lot worse coming from her perspective. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be in her position.

I realized this would be harder than I thought, and that Calum was right when he said a simple 'sorry' wouldn't fix it. I didn't know what I was going to do to get us back to where we were, but as I told her, I was going to try.

"I know, and it was stupid of me to pursue you with the wrong intentions, but I never wanted this to happen. I felt like the only way to keep you safe was to get him out of your life. I felt like that was my job as your best friend," I argued. I didn't want to fight, and I was sure she didn't want to either, but we had to get through this rough patch one way or another.

"I can handle myself, I'm a big girl. If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't have put myself in certain predicaments," she told me softly. "I just feel like this is all one big lie, everything we've ever done."

All that she was saying was slowly crushing my heart because she sounded so hurt, and it was all my fault. I think everything important that I had to say, I put it in my letter to her. I couldn't think of anything else at the worst possible time.

"It hasn't been, I promise. I just want you to be happy," I responded.

"I just want to be happy too," she agreed. "We were doing so well." Kate brought her legs up to her chest and rested her head between them. I knew she was upset, but I didn't know the extent of it until today.

"Yeah," I sighed. The conversation was dying out, but I still felt like there was more to be said. I was trying to think of things to keep it alive, but I was out of options. Just when I was on the brink of giving up, she spoke.

"I didn't want to fall in love with you again," she confessed. "I somehow knew this would happen to me. Apparently, friends can break your heart too."

"Again?" I questioned, not understanding. I didn't know Kate was ever in love with me aside from recently. "And how could have possibly known that? You thought I was going to hurt you?"

"Yeah, the first time was a couple of years ago, but I thought you didn't like me, so I built a wall against those feelings for you. Also, I knew this was all too good to be true because everything that happens to me is just that. There was no way I could be happy without a catch," she explained. It was painful to hear and even more painful to be aware of someone you loved so much enduring that amount of self-doubt.

"Why didn't you tell me, Kate?" I asked first. "You deserve to be happy and nothing less. It's my fault you're upset, and I"m stupid for being the one who got us into this mess." She lifted her head to look directly at me for the first time since we started this talk.

"I was afraid of getting rejected. It was a lot easier to run from my feelings than face them, the same as you said. I thought we would've been better off if I just kept quiet." A deep sigh left her parted lips, and I just felt the strong urge to hug her and never let go.

"I've loved you for a long time," I admitted out loud. It was a lot harder to say those words than to write them, but it felt so natural to say.

"Same," she sighed again. I really hated seeing her this way.

"Did my letter explain some things a little bit better?"I asked. I just wanted to make sure because I wanted to know that we covered everything and that we weren't avoiding certain topics. I felt like we cleared up most of the things we could and the rest would fade out over time.

I didn't know where we would go from here.

"It did, and it was really sweet. I loved how open it was, thank you," she complimented. This would've been the part where I kissed her, but that was only a thing of my imagination at this point. You never really know what you have until it's gone.

"Yeah, once I started writing, I couldn't stop. My heart was just poured out onto that page," I revealed, which caused her to giggle very softly. That sound was like music to my ears, and I would give anything to hear it more often.

"I could tell," she replied simply. A silence blew over the room, and it wasn't too awkward. It was kind of tense, but that was to be expected. We were on track to resolve though, and that was all I could ask for. "I'm really tired," she spoke all of a sudden, a yawn following.

I laughed a little before saying, "Today's been a long day. I think sleep is a good idea." On that note, she stood from her position on the couch and headed out of the room.

"Goodnight Luke," she called on her way out. I returned the 'goodnight', and once I heard her door shut from upstairs, I let out a sigh and stretch out over the length of the surprisingly comfortable lounge chair.

It felt odd to not tell her that I loved her at the end of a conversation, but I guessed that was how it was going to be for now. I closed my eyes to try and get a little rest from the long day I'd just had. I was an emotional wreck for most of it, but I pulled it together by the end to make sure the one I loved the most was okay.

Slowly, sleep started to pull me in, and I was grateful for that. It was my only escape right now, not that I really needed it anymore, but it was a good break. It took a few minutes for me to finally slip into a shallow sleep that should've gotten me through the night.  
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I woke up, and the light in my eyes was blinding. I thought it was morning, but I was wrong. It was just the light in the room shining because I'd fallen asleep with all of them on.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. There was no way I was going to go back to sleep, and it would've been a good idea to just go home and get in an actual bed. I didn't feel like leaving though, not when I knew she was only a staircase away.

I got up to check the time, and I wanted some water, so I went to the kitchen. There, I found it to be three in the morning, and then I realized that it was Christmas morning. This had by bar been the strangest Christmas I'd ever experienced.

Once I'd poured myself a glass, I sat at the island in the kitchen to drink it. It took about two minutes because I wanted to take my time, and when I was done, I put the empty glass in the dishwasher.

I left the kitchen after turning out the lights, and I was about to make my way back to the couch in the lounge room. Just before I got there, I felt this strong urge to go up to her room. I couldn't do it because I was so used to sleeping up there with her whenever I was here.

I took the chance and crept my way up the stairs. As soon as I was outside of her room, I started to grow nervous beyond explanation. I rose a hand and twisted her doorknob slowly, pushing the door open and being careful not to make any noise.

My plan was to just check in on her and leave, nothing more. I didn't want to set my feelings up for something I wasn't sure what would happen or not.

I practically tip-toed in, and what I didn't expect was for her to be awake.

"Luke?" she called out. I nodded, but then I realized she couldn't really see me because it was dark in her room aside from the television screen giving off the slightest bit of light.

"Yeah, sorry. I just came to check-in," I said honestly. "What're you doing up?" If she wasn't getting any sleep because of this, I would feel way more awful than I already did. This entire thing was draining her more than I thought.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered. "What about you?"

"Same," I replied.

"Oh." We kind of left it at that, the room grows silent. I didn't know what to say, and it seemed like she didn't either because I was just standing there awkwardly. She finally spoke again about a minute later. "Come lay down with me?"

"Um." I was a little hesitant, but I couldn't stop my feet from gravitating towards her bed. It was so natural for me to do that. "Are you sure?" I asked for confirmation.

"Yes," she verified, waving me over. I walked slowly to the side of her bed, and I pulled my shirt off. I also took off my pants, but I got a pair of my pajama bottoms out of the drawer across the room. I came back and she had the duvet open and ready for me to slide into.

I hesitated to climb in, but once I was, I relaxed a little. Then, I noticed that she had a shirt of mine on.

"Are you wearing my shirt?" I questioned, calling her out. I could see her nod through the dark of the room.

"It helps me sleep, but for some reason, it didn't work tonight," she acknowledged. I hummed in content, but I didn't say anything. She pulled the cover over us and had me scoot in closer to her. I tried my best to not be stiff, but it was easy to get acclimated with her.

Kate was warm, and it felt good against my body. Her hand found mine, and I quickly interlaced our fingers. This was such a natural position for us, but it felt like I hadn't been in it for a while. It felt nice, relaxing.

"I missed this," I said quietly after about ten more minutes passed, thinking she was already fast asleep. "I missed you," I added, ignoring the compulsion to kiss her neck or shoulder. We weren't at that point yet, and I was going to respect the slow pace we were going to go at.

"Same here. I love you, Luke," she said sleepily. I could tell her eyes were going to shut any moment now. Her words sent so much heat throughout my body, there were no descriptive words for it. I didn't think I ever heard those words fall from her mouth again, and they sent me back to sleep with a smile on my face.

"I love you too."  
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Kate's POV

I woke up with a secure pair of arms wrapped around me and another hand in mine. That was the best I'd slept all week, and I was grateful for him being here. Last night, we'd cleared mostly everything up, but everything was awkward now. I could tell he was unsure of what to do, and so was I.

I didn't want to rush things because I wanted to make sure we were taking our time getting back to where we were before. There was a lot of work that had to be done to fully repair our relationship at this point, but I was willing to work for it. I loved him way too much not to.

Last night was a good start to getting back, and all that was left to do was go at a steady pace and make sure we were communicating the whole way through.

Luke's letter for my Secret Santa gift was the thing that really swayed my opinion. He said most of everything I wanted to hear, and he was so open with all of his feelings. I didn't know about most of the expressed to me in that letter, but to know about them now made it even sweeter.

However, if I would've known about some of those things earlier, we could've been in a totally different place at the moment.

It was Christmas morning, and at first, I thought it would be the worst Christmas I'd ever had, but with Luke here and sleeping behind me, I felt that there was hope. Luke was my hope, my security. I could always go to him when I needed him, and he was always there whether I needed him or not.

Part of the reason for my breakdown last night was because I was upset, confused, and just the slightest bit happy and relieved. I was just letting all of those emotions that I'd kept cage in, rush out of me, and that may not have been the best idea, but it happened. Thank goodness he was there for me, to comfort me when I needed it the most, and he was right. That was probably up there among the worst breakdowns I'd ever had.

I was confused because of the information that was revealed to me in the letter, and sad because it was Christmas Eve and my parents weren't home and my boyfriend and I weren't on good terms. I was happy and relieved, though, by his letter. It was exactly what I needed, and there wasn't a more perfect way to express it to me.

I wanted to get up and take a nice, relaxing bubble bath and then make some breakfast for Luke when he finally woke up. His hold on me was a little bit looser than when I first opened my eyes, so I used that as my opportunity to discretely slip away from him and out of my bed.

I walked across my room to grab my robe and towel before heading to the bathroom. Once I got there, I brushed my teeth and ran some warm water in the tub. I poured in some bubbles and just let the water rise.

As soon as the bath was to my liking, I took off my clothes and got in. It was hot, but just right for relaxing my tensed muscles. I was sitting in fat enough that the bubbles were covering my entire body. My plan was to only stay in here for twenty minutes, then I would get out and start up the Christmas breakfast.

Usually, it was my mom who would be making the breakfast. I would wake up and come downstairs to the smell of maple syrup and bacon. There would be an entire table of food set up for the three of us to indulge in. Then, we would open presents. That's what I wanted to do today, with Luke.

I got a car from my parents this year, and I was really grateful for that. I was probably going to have to start babysitting again to be able to pay for my gas. Even though I knew my parents would most likely cover all of my car's expenses, I still wanted to feel like I was contributing and not just getting a free ride.

I laid my head back against the top of the tub, and I closed my eyes. Most of the time, I used baths like this to think, and right now, there was a lot I needed to be thinking about.

All of my main worries were about Luke and me and where we were supposed to go from here. He said that we could go at my pace, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go extremely slow, like the beginning of our relationship, or pick up right where we left off.

About halfway through my bath, there was a knock on the door. My eyes shot open, and I sat up slightly, but the bubbles were still covering me.

"Kate?" he called from the other side of the door. Then, the knob turned slightly and he peeked in to make sure the coast was clear before walking in. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second," I told him. He closed the lid on the toilet and sat down on that.

"No, I mean, are you okay? Like, how do you feel about what happened last night?" he clarified. I ran a hand through my half-wet hair and sighed before speaking, attempt to gather my thoughts and explain them in the simplest form possible.

"I think it was good for us. We needed to talk about it, and I'm glad we sort of came to a resolve," I elucidated. Luke nodded in response, understanding.

"Me too," he agreed quickly. A few beats of silence passed before he said, "So, what now?"

"I don't really know," I responded honestly. "I guess we can just see what happens," I suggested. "You don't have to change anything you'd already been doing, but we can just go slower and see where it takes us."

"Okay, that sounds good," he said in a low tone. He was being extremely careful, I could tell. It was so much softer than his normal demeanor, and I had to admit that it was kind of odd to witness, but I liked it a little. "I'm going to go downstairs and watch something on Netflix in the lounge room," he informed me after the room went up in rather comfortable silence.

"Alright, I'll be out in a second." With that, he stood up and left, closing the door behind him. By now, the suds were dissolving, so it was definitely time to get out. I did my best job of rinsing off before I got out and tied a towel securely around myself.

I turned the lights out in the bathroom and made my way to my bedroom so I could get dressed.

I dried my hair first so it wouldn't soak my clothes. Then, I put on my undergarments and more pajamas, which consisted of cotton shorts and a matching shirt. I decided to just wear my hair down instead of pulling it up like my original intention.

Once I was finished, I went downstairs to the lounge room to find Luke. He was just watching a Christmas movie on Netflix, so I left him to that.

"Luke, I'm going to make us some breakfast," I told him before actually going to the kitchen.

Upon arriving, I pulled the pancake mix out of the pantry and I get the rest of the ingredients out to make them. Pancakes were Luke's favorite thing for breakfast, so I thought he would enjoy that day just a little bit more by starting it off with something he liked.

I also took some bacon out of the fridge and I prepped all of my pans. I made the batter, and I poured medium-sized circles in the pans as soon as if was done warming up.

About five minutes went by and I was flipping a pancake when I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind. Then, Luke rested his chin on my left shoulder. A warmness spread throughout me, and the gesture brought a smile to my face.

"Is this okay?" he asked for reassurance.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, it's nice." He hummed in response and we stayed like that until I finished cooking everything.

Being in Luke's arms was the best thing ever, and I loved every second of it. I didn't know what I'd be like if I couldn't have it, probably a wreck, just like this past week.

Once I was done, I set everything up on the island and I got some fresh fruit out of the fridge. I chopped a variety of it up, and I put it into some small bowls. I also took out the syrup, and the Christmas breakfast was finally ready to be eaten.

We pretty much ate in silence, aside from him thanking and complimenting me on the meal. I was actually proud of myself for how good it tasted. It was probably the best I'd ever made pancakes.

Of course, he finished before I did, but when we were both done, I collected the plates and put all of the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I got everything together and started the machine so the dishes would be cleaned without much work or effort.

Luke was just sitting in his same seat, watching me as I returned the kitchen to normal. I wiped down all of the countertops and the island to finish everything off. I then walked around to where he was, and I grabbed his hand, pulling him up to follow me to the lounge room.

"Where are we going?" he asked confusingly. I couldn't wait any longer for him to open his gift because it was by far the best thing I'd ever bought for anyone.

"To open your Christmas gift," I informed. I turned back at him to see his face still unsure. "What's wrong?"

"I don't have your gift with me. It's at my house," he told me. My eyebrows scrunched together, it being my turn to be confused before I relaxed again.

"That's okay. I just want to see your reaction when you open mine." I smiled to reassure him, and he smiled back. I didn't mind that we would get to open our gifts together like we usually did. After all, nothing was usual about this Christmas.

"Are you sure?" he questioned. I nodded instead of speaking and he just smiled again.

As soon as we got into the lounge room, I led Luke to the tree so he could gather his present. It was in a large rectangular box, so he would have no idea until he took the wrapping paper off and pulled it out.

Meanwhile, I sat down on the rug with my back against the bottom of the couch, just watching. He looked at me again for confirmation.

"Go on, open it," I encouraged him. Luke pulled the large box from under the tree and set it down on the floor. He sat down behind it and proceeded to tear the paper off. Once he saw the plain brown box, I could tell he was confused again. "Keep going."

I didn't bother to tape the ends shut, so he easily pulled the flaps apart and looked inside. Eagerly, he stuck his hand in the box and pulled the black casing out. His eye lit up instantly, and he hadn't even finished pulling out the actual present.

He looked up at me.

"You didn't," he said in disbelief, the shock clear on his facial features.

"I did indeed," I reaffirmed. He pulled the rest of the black case out and his jaw drops as he unlocked the latches and opened the case.

Inside was the brand new, black and white electric guitar that I bought him for Christmas. I could already tell that he was loving it. The guy at the shop helped me pick it out, and I was satisfied with my decision, especially now that I saw he liked it so much.

Luke picked it up and gave it a quick examination. He fiddled with the strings and ran his hands along the neck and the sides, and when he was done, he put it back in the case and the biggest smile broke out into his face.

"Thank you so much, Kate," he stated as he made his way over to me. He engulfed me in a hug that lasted for a couple minutes. We just sat there, him in between my legs, just embracing each other and savoring the feelings we gave each other.

"It's no problem," I assured. He pulled away first, and he looked me right in the eyes. They were blue, just like they's always been, but this morning, they shined a lot brighter. His eyes flickered back from mine to my lips, and I was extremely aware of what he wanted to happen.

I didn't even know if I was ready for it, but I guessed we would find out.

Luke initiated it by leaning in ever so slightly, while still checking my face for any signs of discomfort or discontent. There was none. I wanted this to happen just as much as he did.

My own lips parted involuntarily as he used one of his free hands to tilt my chin upward with his thumb and forefinger. He brought his face just that much closer to mine and carefully pressed his lips to mine. They were soft, and he hummed in response.

My insides heated up in the best way, something I'd been dying to feel all week. It seemed much more intense than before, but that was probably because I missed him so much. The butterflies just went raging inside my stomach, and I got this dizzy feeling that I could only associate with the word love.

I could taste that faint hint of mint on his tongue as he slipped it into my mouth and deepened the kiss further. After about a minute, he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine, planting another short, but sweet, kiss on my lips before stopping together.

A smile broke out on my face, and I just started giggling. Maybe it looked crazy, but at this moment I couldn't have cared less. I was so in love with the guy in front of me, the guy I called my best friend.

My arms were rested on his shoulders, and my hands were tangled in his hair. I didn't even remember putting them there, but it was fine.

"Merry Christmas, Luke," I said once I calmed myself down from the wild adrenaline rush he seemed to always give me. He smiled and wrapped my legs around his waist, taking me with him as he stood up. He proceeded to sit me on the couch, and I knew there were two different things that could possibly happen.

"Merry Christmas, baby," he responded, connecting our lips once again and laying me back on the couch. It was true too. This really was a merry Christmas.


	55. Decision

Kate's POV

It seemed like the more time that passed, the more and more comfortable Luke became. Normally, he would show a little bit more confidence whenever we'd do something that could be categorized in the least bit of intimate, but right now, he appeared to be way timider.

Every move he made felt way too calculated when it was usually very free-spirited.

Of course, I didn't mind too much because today was actually the first time I'd allowed him to touch me in a while so it was bound to be at least a little awkward. Neither of us made any effort to stop, but on the other hand, we didn't make any moves to progress our positions further.

Most of the time, Luke's hand would roam free, going wherever they pleased or wherever he saw fit, and that was one of my favorite things. Now, he just had one rested on my cheek and the other settled on my waist. His body wasn't even flush against mine. He seemed to be using whatever strength he had in his thighs to hover just above me.

The kiss was also pretty gentle, and that was something to be expected because that's how it always was after a fight, but he would've become a little bit more dominant with it by now.

All of these different factors confused me, but I tried not to dwell on it too much as I wanted to just act at the moment and not on past or future occurrences. Trying to apply that to my currents thoughts, my hands that I had just rested by my sides, as I wasn't sure what to do with them, traveled from his waist up to his back and I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt.

It apparently had a good effect because Luke, in turn, moved his hand that was on my waist to my upper thigh before wrapping my leg around his waist, pressing his body completely against mine. He even slipped his tongue, past my involuntarily parted lips, to take more control of the kiss.

My hormones had become immune to our current position, remaining pretty stable the entire time except for the initial contact. I felt the butterflies and the warmness spreading throughout my body at first, but the longer we stayed like this, the faster it died out. I couldn't help but feel like I needed something to happen to spark that flame again, but I didn't exactly know what.

I obviously wasn't going to have sex with him because quite frankly, there was still some distrust for him left, and I didn't know how I was going to get rid of it. Maybe the more I interacted with him after his revelation, I would realize that he's still the same Luke I fell in love with. The only thing different was that he went behind my back while I trusted him with something valuable and important to me.

I guess it sounded worse than intended, but it was a better plan in my head. I really wanted to find a way to forgive Luke completely because no matter if I wanted to be or not, I was so in love with him, and there was virtually nothing I could do about it at this point.

I moved my hand once again from his back up to cup both of his cheeks, bringing him that much closer to me if it was even possible. They then moved again to the nape of his neck, resting there to gently play with the hair, that'd grown out quite a bit since the last time we were in a predicament similar to this one, there.

After a few moments, I finally tangled my hands in his hair and tugged on the roots a little, eliciting a very raspy groan from Luke. It sounded like he was trying his best to hold it in, but it probably came out against his will. That was what I was looking for because it lit my insides on fire, making me melt right under him.

He wrapped my other leg around his waist, and I squeezed them tighter to have his lower half completely pressed against mine. Luke hummed against my mouth, and I could feel the control I had over my hormones and actions start to slip from my fingers. I became breathless, so much so that I had to come up from the kiss to get some air.

Luke didn't stop though, which was to be expected. He just picked another place to kiss me instead.

His lips traveled across my jaw and down my neck before stopping to concentrate on my collar bone. He stayed there for a while, not stopping to focus on one particular spot but giving attention to every section of my now flushed skin. I sighed in appreciation, and he stopped to bring his face level with mine.

Our eyes locked, his bright blue ones sending chills down my spine. Then he suddenly pulled away, leaving my face holding a confused expression. He noticed and quickly pressed a short kiss to my lips to reassure me before pulling away again, but this time completely.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern filling my voice. He looked away and shook his head before responding.

"Nothing, why?" he said, getting off of me so I can sit up. He ran a hand through his hair before resting them both in his lap, laying his head against the back of the couch. He looked absolutely exhausted, and not just from what we were doing but in general. I guess I could be blamed for that.

"I was just wondering why you stopped all of a sudden," I inquired. It was something that'd bugged me as soon as it happened, but I wasn't ultimately sure if I wanted to bring it up or not. It may have made me seem crazy, and I wasn't really looking for that kind of reaction.

"Oh," he sighed, opening his eyes and facing me. "I just thought it was an appropriate time to stop, I guess. We just got back on speaking terms, and I didn't want to take it too far, not yet at least," he explained.

I nodded in understanding and he reached his hand out for me to take. I cooperated and followed suit, and Luke used that as an opportunity to pull me onto his lap, making me straddle him. The burn that was dying down was starting to come back from such a simple gesture, and I embarrassingly hiding my face in his chest.

Luke knew me, and he knew me a little bit too well. He could read me like a book, and he could tell just how I was feeling all from my face, my eyes alone if he tried. Even if I made it hard for him, he used my body language. It was almost like he knew me better than I knew me. He just kind of knew.

"Alright," I managed to squeak out. It was muffled because of my face that I was hiding in his chest. He laughed and used his pointer finger to lift my chin up so I could look at him. Even when we were finally face to face, my eyes drifted away from his, not being able to look at him directly.

"I love you," he confessed softly. I felt his words right in my heart because it nearly exploded. Luke always said it, so there was no doubt in what he was telling me. He made sure that I knew he loved me and that I was never unsure of his love for me.

I don't know what it was about eye contact that made it feel so intimate to me, but sometimes, I just couldn't bring myself to make it.

Even though I was used to the three simple words, I wasn't really used to them. They still sent that subtle wave of electricity throughout my body, a burn in the pit of my stomach that was unexplainable.

"Mhm," was all I could muster. I was afraid that if I said anything more, I would either cry because my emotions were overwhelming me, or I would do something without thinking it through first.

"Look at me," Luke instructed softly. Reluctantly, I obliged, and when I finally looked at him, the laziest smile was covering his face. I was oblivious to what it could've meant or what it was directed towards, but it was one of the cutest things I'd ever witnessed.

My face sort of resembled one of thoughtfulness, my eyebrows subtly scrunched together and my lips slightly parted. Luke brought my face just a little bit closer to his and kissed me softly, his lips barely brushing mine. It was enough to have me hooked and wanting more, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

My hands were naturally rested on his shoulders, and he'd finally moved his finger from under my chin to interlock his hands behind my back. There was a definite shift in energy in the room, but I couldn't quite depict what it went to.

I had an incredibly tempting urge to just take it all the way, but my rational side disagreed. I decided to listen to that part, but it was becoming increasingly harder the longer I sat in his lap. I had to think about everything I was doing and everything stopping me from doing just that so I wouldn't make any mistakes.

If I were to shut my brain off and go based on feelings and current emotions, it would be all over. That plan would've been scrapped, and I would've let my body take full control. It was something I wasn't sure if I was ready to let happen.

Catching me off guard, he leaned forward and kissed me again, this time pulling my bottom lip between his teeth and gently tugging on it. A very quiet whine escaped from my mouth, and Luke took that as his cue to slide his tongue in and start making out with me for the second time today.

It was very slow, but sensual at the same time. His grip on my waist tightened, and after a few minutes, he pulled away again. He was teasing me and doing a very good job at it.

Within seconds his lips were attached to my neck, and I was trying so hard to be quiet. Even though there was no one in the house but us, I couldn't help but feel like this was wrong. I just so happened to push that thought all the way to the back of my mind instead of dwelling on it though.

I was still unsure if I wanted this to happen at the same time. I was greatly contradicting myself.

When he sucked on one spot for just a second too long is when I finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "Luke," I called out as he covered my jawline with small kisses. Any other word seemed to get caught in my throat, and the only thing I could think about at this moment was him.

His lips traveled to the end of my jaw bone to right behind my ear, and he stopped for a moment to ask me a question.

"Do you think we're making the right decision?" he whispered in a sultry voice. I couldn't even begin to process his words. The tone he was using alone was enough to have me more frustrated than I've been in a long time.

He seemed a lot more sure of himself now than he was before, and I don't know what finally clicked in his head that switched his behavior, but I liked it.

I'd just about made my decision, and I knew exactly what I wanted. Luke knew too, but he always made sure he had my consent first.

I rocked my hips against his a few times to let him know of my answer before I voiced it, and this caused him to throw his head back. His breathing became rapid, and I could see him losing the control he'd had over himself.

I slightly raised myself above his lap to bring my face to his, and he whimpered at the loss of stimulation to his crotch. Teasing him further, I kissed the corners of his mouth instead of giving him what he wanted. His hands dropped from being wrapped around me to his sides, some parts of his body becoming limp and others, stiff.

I cupped the left side of his face in my hand, and I brought my lips in front of his mouth so that they were directly hovering over it, only half of a centimeter away. Finally, I whispered, "Yes," and that seemed to be enough for him.

Luke gently forced my hips back down to return the contact, and he rose up slightly to meet our lips. He wasted no time in pushing his tongue through my lips, and I could tell he was already excited.

Before anything further could happen though, my doorbell rang, ceasing all of our actions.

Luke let out an annoyed groan as I climbed off his lap to go answer the door. I stopped to check my appearance in the mirror, and luckily, I wasn't heavily marked. There were only a few faint red spots, but I knew they would go away within the hour. I used my hair to cover them all for the time being.

Once I got to the front door, I unlocked it and pulled it open to reveal the person behind it. Of course, it was none other than one of my best friends, Calum Hood. He had the biggest grin plastered across his face, something I found absolutely adorable.

Smiling was one of his ways to try and get others to cheer up, and it definitely worked most of the time. I was assuming he came here to check on me because, after yesterday, I hadn't been in contact with anyone other than Luke. I was a hundred percent ready to go back into hiding.

I'd thought about texting one of the guys, but honestly, I just wanted to be alone. Then, Luke showed up and tried to fix his mistakes and for that I was grateful. It showed that he actually cared as much as he said he did.

Without another second thought, Calum pulled me into the most comforting hug ever. I relaxed in my arms and just let him embrace me. The first few seconds he was just quiet, but then he sighed before asking me a question that no one seemed to care about the answer to.

"Merry Christmas! How are you feeling, Kate?" I thought about it for a moment, and the more I dwelled on the question, the more I started to realize that I felt a lot better since a week ago, even since yesterday.

"Merry Christmas. I'm better," I answered simply. That was the first time I could honestly say I didn't feel like absolute death. Most of my emotions from the week were just crying and crawling into a ball. All I wanted to do was sleep, and I didn't feel like talking ever again.

"Really? A lot or just a little bit?" he questioned. Calum pulled away from the hug slightly to gauge my facial expressions. He was also one that could tell exactly how I was feeling by my face. Of course, it took him a little bit longer than Luke to figure it out, but he could still do it nonetheless.

"Um," I hesitated, trying to think of a way to put my emotions into words. I couldn't say that it was only a small amount, but I would also be lying if I said I felt a lot better.

Obviously, there were still some unsaid words and more things that needed to be worked out because Luke and I hadn't exactly covered what we were going to do from here. At the moment, I was just going along with what was happening, and I planned to worry about the rest later.

"Um?" he pushed. I held up a finger to let him know that I was still thinking about the way I wanted to answer. After a minute, I got it.

"Just the right amount," I said. "I don't feel a lot better, but I don't only feel a little bit better. It's right in the middle." I explained. He nodded to let me know that he understood.

I moved out the way of the door so he could come in all the way. It was the polite thing to do.

If he wanted to come here to talk to me, I wasn't sure how that would work out considering Luke was here. Maybe we could all hang out for a while with light-hearted conversations. I didn't want a single topic to get too heavy because it was Christmas, and I felt like everyone should be happy on this day.

"Is that food I smell?" Calum inquired. I nodded instead of answering because giggles forced their way through my lips. This made him smile too. He once told me that he would always be happy if I was. Apparently, none of the guys could stand it when I was upset.

"Yeah, I made breakfast this morning." I led him toward the kitchen so he could get whatever was leftover from what Luke and I ate. On the way through, he noticed Luke sitting on the couch.

"Woah, hi Luke," he greeted, causing Luke to turn around. His face broke out into a smile at the sight of his best friend, and he stood up to enter our conversation.

"Hey mate, you having a good Christmas so far?" Luke asked. Calum nodded, and his eyes scanned my living room. After a few seconds, they stopped on one thing and widened.

"Wait, you got a guitar?" he questioned, turning to me. I shook my head.

"No, I got it for Luke," I clarified. The surprised look on his face was something someone should've taken a picture of because the expression was priceless.

I don't think anyone expected me to get Luke anything for Christmas because I was so upset, and our relationship was literally a few days away from ending by the time Christmas came around. The thing about it was that I'd bought the gift way before we got in a fight. We were actually on really good terms and everything felt so right.

I couldn't help but feel like it was too good to be true at the time, which it ended up being.

The one I got him was a little expensive and that's the only reason my parents had to help me pay for it. I wasn't just going to take it back just because we were fighting.

Luke had been working so hard in regards to his music, along with Calum, Michael, and Ashton. They'd all deserved every opportunity that got, and I was rooting for them. I really wanted them to do something big because they were too talented to let it go to waste.

Buying new instruments was just another step, and I honestly thought Luke deserved one. He was so passionate about what he was doing, and I could tell it was so every time he'd play a note or open up his mouth to sing.

I wanted to help as much as possible.

"Wow, she must actually love you," Calum stated, voice awestricken. He left us and went to the middle of the room to interact with the instrument. He picked it up and played a few notes to a song that was unrecognizable to me at the moment.

Luke wrapped one of his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into him. Once I was close enough to him, I wrapped both my arms around his waist. He kissed the top of my head quickly before expressing, "I'm so lucky she still does," quietly. It wasn't even loud enough for Calum to hear it.

We just stood in the same position for at least five minutes while Calum messed around with the brand new guitar. He looked like he was enjoying himself, so I let him have his fun.

Once he was done, he stopped and turned to us. "So you guys are back?"

"For the most part," I answered. I know Luke and I hadn't exactly figured everything out, but we both knew this was bound to happen anyway. I loved him too much to let him go over something that someone else caused initially.

"Great," applauded, smiling widely. "So is the offer for food still open, or..?" I nodded and Luke laughed.

"Yeah, come on," I told Calum, and he followed me as we all made our way to the kitchen.


	56. Heart

Kate's POV

After Calum ate the breakfast that I cooked and Luke had seconds, I went upstairs so I could change. We'd all just sat around the island in the middle of my kitchen and made light conversation, just to catch up a little.

Luke and I were silent for the most part, and we just let Calum do all of the talking because his life events seemed to be way more exciting than ours during the past couple of weeks. Every now and then, I would add in my commentary and Luke would just nod along, but that was mainly it.

Luke had planned to take me to his house to pick up my Christmas presents from him and his family. After I opened them, the guys were planning on going to a beach about thirty minutes from Luke's house. Calum was going to go once we left my house, but Luke and I were going to meet them there.

Once we were done at the beach, all of us were supposed to head back to Luke's house for a Christmas dinner. Joy, Calum's mom, was going to be helping Liz cook. I didn't even have to question that because I knew that if they were both pitching in, this would be an excellent dinner.

I had a short mental debate on whether I wanted to stay and help the women cook or not. On one hand, I wanted to offer my help whenever I could, but I also wanted to hang out with my friends and have a chill day.

It wasn't that hard of a decision to make, but I ultimately ended up picking the beach. I hadn't been in a while, and it looked like the perfect day outside to go.

As soon as I got to my room, I went to my closet to find something to wear. I quickly decided on just a pair of denim shorts and a plain grey shirt, simple enough. I pulled out some tan and grey sandals to go with and I slipped those on quickly.

Then, I went over to my vanity and I spent a solid five minutes in the mirror trying to figure out if I wanted to put my hair into a ponytail or just leave it down. After the short debate, I chose down, and I brushed out the few tangles that were lingering amongst the strands.

I opened one of the drawers to get out a swimsuit for the beach and I found a decently sized tote bag in my closet to put it and a beach towel in.

As I was looking for some sunscreen, I heard a light tap at my door. I knew it could be one of two people.

"Come in," I called to whoever was on the other side of my door. It opened about a split second after revealing Luke. He came in and took a seat at the edge of my bed.

"Are you almost ready?" he asked, a hint of nervousness behind his voice. I just nodded, continuing to pack the bag I was going to take to the beach. I assumed that Luke would just take me home afterward so I was only getting enough for the beach.

"Do you want me to take my car so you don't have to drive back to my house after dinner at yours?" I questioned, looking straight into his eyes. They darted around the room, trying to focus on anything except me. He was back to being timid.

"Um...I thought you would want to spend the night at my house. If you don't, that's fine too and you can just take your car as well," Luke explained. I pondered over his offer for a second, not exactly knowing what I wanted.

I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, but I also wanted to make sure I wasn't moving things too fast. Even so, it was basically harmless to sleep in the same bed as him, as long as we weren't doing anything. Somehow, we always ended up getting ourselves into something, and most of the time, the resultant wasn't as amazing as I'd expected it to be.

I just looked at him for a moment before saying, "I guess staying over for one night won't hurt. Plus, I miss it...and you."

Luke looked up at me and finally made eye contact, giving me a shy smile as well. He was awfully cute, and often times I felt like I didn't deserve him.

"I miss you too," he confessed before standing to his feet. I grabbed a few more clothes to stay the night at his house, and I put them in the bag. It was highly possible that I would be wearing his clothes to sleep anyway, but I decided to pack some of my own just in case. I was also planning to shower after the beach so I wouldn't go to bed feeling grimy and disgusting.

Once I was all set, I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand and his hand before shutting off the lights and closing the door to my room. Luke trailed me down the stairs, and we found Calum in my living room, still messing around with Luke's new guitar. He was singing one of their songs, and it sounded beautiful.

As soon as he noticed us standing behind him, he seized his actions and put the guitar back in its case.

"Are we all ready to go?" he asked to confirm. Luke and I both nodded, so he said, "Great. Michael, Ashton, and I are going to head to the beach in about half an hour to give you guys time with the Christmas gifts," and started heading for the door.

Luke grabbed the guitar in the case, putting the strap over his shoulder and he grabbed his keys from off the coffee table. We both walked to the front door and I let him out first so I could lock up.

Once I got to the car, he'd already started it and put his guitar in the bag seat. I placed my bag back there as well, and we were all set.

He backed out of my drive and started our route towards his house. Like normally, it took about 10 minutes, and when we arrived, he pulled into his driveway and parked the car. He got out first, grabbing the guitar and my bag.

I followed him to the door in the garage so we could go inside. Since hair was already unlocked, he twisted the knob and pushed it open, letting us in. We were met by the loud welcomes of his brothers, them clapping as he'd just won a grammy.

"Luke, where've you been, mate?" Jack asked curiously. I knew there was only a matter of time before they realized I was standing behind him. The case on his back was completely covering me.

I didn't think it was a big deal that he was at my house last night, but I also didn't know how much of the story that his brothers knew. I couldn't help but feel like they would judge me for decided to continue my relationship with Luke even after what he did.

I knew they just wanted me to be happy, but they were also going to make sure nothing or no one hurt me in the process.

"Yeah, and what's that you've got on your back?" Ben followed. Luke turned to the side, preparing to answer both of their questions, but also revealing me. The room went silent for a few seconds, the other two boys making sure I was actually there before they said anything else. "Kate?"

"Hi," I said shyly. It wasn't like me to be this restricted in front of them. They were practically my second family for crying out loud. It just so happened, though, that the more they stared at me, the more I wanted to crawl back into my shell. I felt so uncomfortable.

"Are you guys okay?" Jack asked, concern filling every feature on his face. I just nodded, not entirely trusting myself to speak anymore.

"Yeah, we are. We just came so I could give Kate her actual Christmas present. Then, we're going to hang out at the beach with Cal, Mike, and Ash for a little bit. We'll all be back later for dinner," Luke explained. Both of the guys just nodded along in understanding.

"I'm glad you guys are back, bro," Ben said excitedly. Luke smiled, and so did I.

"Thanks," Luke replied simply, grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs to his room.   
Before I could get completely away, Ben tapped my shoulder. I let go of Luke's hand, and he pulled me aside. Luke looked at me questioningly, but I just told him to go on without me.

"Is something wrong?" I looked at Ben, my eyebrows knitted together in worry. He shook his head.

"No actually," he started. It was my turn to look at him in question. I was thoroughly confused.

"Everything's just fine now," he claimed. I just continued to stare at him blankly.

"So..."

"I'm so glad you and Luke are back together. You don't understand just how good for him you are. He's so happy when he's with you and miserable when he's not," he started explaining. "I sort of wish you could've seen him this past week. He was so awful, I only saw him a couple of times and he lives here. He never left his room, and in the middle of the night, if you listened really hard, you could hear his soft cries. You could hear him mumbling to himself about how much he regretted what he did and how he was so sorry, but of course, you couldn't hear him. All he wanted was for you to forgive him."

"Seriously?"

"Come on, would I really make up something as serious as this?"

I thanked Ben quickly and hugged him before asking, "Will you excuse me?" He just nodded, and I turned around before running off up the staircase.

Once I was outside Luke's door, I gave it a light tap so he was aware of my presence.

"Give me a second," he called. Of course, I waited as he asked, and after a few minutes, the door finally swung open.

His room was just as I remember it, dark carpet and curtains, light walls, and just big enough for an extra person. The only different thing was the fact that he'd changed the sheets and duvet.

I'd always loved the mellow mood his room created. It wasn't dull, but it wasn't overly bright either. It set just the right tone for anything you might've wanted to do.

He had a few pictures of us on his bedside table, along with his songwriting book, a glass of water, and a few loose sheets of paper with notes written on them.

I looked around the room for a few moments, just to take in my surroundings. Then, I took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"Now you may be wondering why the hell it took me so long, but I swear I have a good explanation," he started. He then walked over to his closet and opened the double doors.

Luke pulled out more than one thing. One had an odd shape that I couldn't quite make out from where I was sitting, another was in a small box that was wrapped in gift paper, and the last box was bigger than the first and also very neatly wrapped.

"What are those?" I asked curiously. I obviously knew they were my Christmas gifts, but I wanted to know exactly what they were.

He handed me the obscurely shaped item first, and it had a cover over the front. I lifted the veil, and it revealed a medium-sized, heart shape, collage of photos. All of them were of Luke and me, from when we were younger, all the way up to most recently from the last date we'd had.

It looked like he'd taken all of the time in the world to hand pick his favorite pictures of us and individually glue each one down, wherever he wanted them to go. And it was the most thoughtful gift, by far, that I'd ever received.

The small bits of the background that you could see and of course the entirety of the back was a very pretty red color. There was also a soft pink that'd seemed to be mixed in and swirled with this eye-catching red.

I looked up at him, and he motioned for me to keep going because I still had a few boxes left. At first, I thought he was going to let me open them in whatever order I wanted, but he handed me the larger of the 3 boxes first.

I didn't want to completely obliterate the paper, but I wanted to uncover the secrets that were lying beneath it. Not so carefully, I unwrapped the gift, and it was a polaroid camera. My first reaction was confusion. I didn't know why Luke got me this, but for some reason, I was naturally drawn to it.

My eyebrows were drawn together as I scanned the item, and he noticed after a moment. He titled my chin up with his finger, and his eyes quickly skimmed over my face.

"Whats wrong?" he finally asked. I shook my head, trying to play it off, but he wasn't going to drop it that easily. "Tell me."

"Why'd you get me this?" I questioned, purely out of curiosity. I didn't not like the camera, I was just confused by the meaning behind it.

"Because," he started. I continued to look at him expectingly, so he explained, "I've noticed how many pictures you keep of the ones you love on your walls. It's so nicely decorated and it looks like so much thought is put into it. I only want to enhance your creativity and motivate you to keep that going because you're good at it and it'd be amazing to see what else you can do with it."

To say I was speechless was the bare minimum. I couldn't believe he'd put so much thought into these gifts, and it baffled me to know just how much more he noticed than I thought he did.

"How are you so thoughtful?"

"Because I want to give you the world, and if that means that I have to expand my boundaries, then I'll do just that," he confessed while passing me the next, smaller, box.

I opened it quickly, and it was just an extra film for the polaroid. I nodded, agreeing that extra film was a good idea.

Finally, he gave me the last box. It was the smallest one of them all, and it was wrapped in a different paper. I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or just because he might've run out of paper by the end and had to switch to a new roll. I decided to just stop overthinking one small detail and carry on with the gift opening.

I took a deep breath and tore the wrapping paper away. It was a small, navy blue box that was only about three and a half inches on each side and an inch and a half in depth. I removed the lid and there lied a silver, chain bracelet with two charms.

The first was of a vintage-looking camera, which fit the theme of his Christmas gifts, and the second was a heart charm. It was a little bigger and thicker than I thought heart charms would be, but as I was inspecting it, it popped open.

On the inside of it were a picture of Luke and me from a while ago. It seemed to be right before we started the lessons. There were small crystals bordering the perimeter of the inside of the heart that seemed to make it sparkle in the reflection of the light.

I closed it after looking at the picture for over a minute, and I continued to study the charm. I found an inscription on the back. It read, "Lessons can create a forever."

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I knew it was deeper than what met the eye. Not only was he referencing the sex lessons he provided me at the very beginning of our relationship, but he was also referring to all of the lessons that we've learned together over the course of our relationship that has tested us, broke us apart, caused us to reflect, and have ultimately made us stronger.

I knew from this small gesture that he was, in fact, planning for us to be together forever, and I was completely okay with that.

Without me noticing, tears had begun to well up in my eyes, and at any moment I knew I was going to start crying. It didn't happen though, they just kept filling up my eyes, blurring my vision.

I looked at him, and he knew. I didn't even have to say anything, he just knew, and he opened his arms wide, inviting me in. I practically leaped into his arms, knocking him to his back, as he engulfed me into the most emotional embrace that we've had in a long time.

"I love you so much, Luke." I just let the words fall out of my mouth, and for once since his secret reveal, they didn't leave a weird taste on my tongue or a painful thought in my mind.

"I love you more babe," he replied. He sat up with me still in his arms and just held me until I decided I was okay again. A few minutes went past, and I finally untangled myself from him.

Sometimes, I just felt like it was nice to be held, so I wanted to take some time and do just that. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. I nodded and was the first to stand. He followed and grabbed my hand. I led us out of his room and to the staircase.

Just before we took the first step, I stopped abruptly. "Wait."

"What's wrong?" he asked, confusion spread across his face. I shook my head.

"Nothing, we just haven't changed yet," I pointed out. He nodded, agreeing, and turned back around.

"You can change in here and just meet me in the car," he instructed. I told him that was fine, as I twisted the knob to open his bedroom door. He came back into his room and grabbed what looked more intricate than his normal pair of swimming trunks, but I didn't question it. I assumed he was just going to go to the bathroom and change.

I quickly took off literally everything and reached into my bag to get my swim suit. It was new and Luke hadn't ever seen it before. I was looking forward to his reaction to it, which I knew was going to be absolutely priceless.

I changed into the new apparel and coated myself with a decent amount of sunscreen. I decided to put my clothes from before back on, just as a cover-up and I grabbed my towel out of the bag before leaving the room and closing the door.

I went downstairs and said goodbye to Luke's family before making my way to the car. Just like he said, he was already there waiting for me. Everything looked normal, except for what Luke was wearing.

He was in a wetsuit.

"Um...why the surfing gear?" I asked, a genuine question because I had no idea he had an interest in surfing at all.

"Besides today, Ashton and I are going to try our best to figure it out, and what better way than to be clad in surfing one-oh-one..a wetsuit?" I just sighed and laughed at him.

Luke appeared to be able to do a lot of things that he actually couldn't, so I was expecting to have a good laugh later on today.

"Luke, while you may look like you can surf, I'm pretty sure you can't," I told him, and he pretended to be fake offended. He scoffed and put his hand over his heart like I just stabbed him there. I just continued to laugh.

I closed the door to the passenger side, and Luke backed out of the driveway before driving in the direction of the beach. We had our ways to go, but two minutes into the trip, Luke finally said, "Watch and learn baby," and put his hand in its usual spot on my upper thigh.


	57. Heart

Kate's POV

After Calum ate the breakfast that I cooked and Luke had seconds, I went upstairs so I could change. We'd all just sat around the island in the middle of my kitchen and made light conversation, just to catch up a little.

Luke and I were silent for the most part, and we just let Calum do all of the talking because his life events seemed to be way more exciting than ours during the past couple of weeks. Every now and then, I would add in my commentary and Luke would just nod along, but that was mainly it.

Luke had planned to take me to his house to pick up my Christmas presents from him and his family. After I opened them, the guys were planning on going to a beach about thirty minutes from Luke's house. Calum was going to go once we left my house, but Luke and I were going to meet them there.

Once we were done at the beach, all of us were supposed to head back to Luke's house for a Christmas dinner. Joy, Calum's mom, was going to be helping Liz cook. I didn't even have to question that because I knew that if they were both pitching in, this would be an excellent dinner.

I had a short mental debate on whether I wanted to stay and help the women cook or not. On one hand, I wanted to offer my help whenever I could, but I also wanted to hang out with my friends and have a chill day.

It wasn't that hard of a decision to make, but I ultimately ended up picking the beach. I hadn't been in a while, and it looked like the perfect day outside to go.

As soon as I got to my room, I went to my closet to find something to wear. I quickly decided on just a pair of denim shorts and a plain grey shirt, simple enough. I pulled out some tan and grey sandals to go with and I slipped those on quickly.

Then, I went over to my vanity and I spent a solid five minutes in the mirror trying to figure out if I wanted to put my hair into a ponytail or just leave it down. After the short debate, I chose down, and I brushed out the few tangles that were lingering amongst the strands.

I opened one of the drawers to get out a swimsuit for the beach and I found a decently sized tote bag in my closet to put it and a beach towel in.

As I was looking for some sunscreen, I heard a light tap at my door. I knew it could be one of two people.

"Come in," I called to whoever was on the other side of my door. It opened about a split second after revealing Luke. He came in and took a seat at the edge of my bed.

"Are you almost ready?" he asked, a hint of nervousness behind his voice. I just nodded, continuing to pack the bag I was going to take to the beach. I assumed that Luke would just take me home afterward so I was only getting enough for the beach.

"Do you want me to take my car so you don't have to drive back to my house after dinner at yours?" I questioned, looking straight into his eyes. They darted around the room, trying to focus on anything except me. He was back to being timid.

"Um...I thought you would want to spend the night at my house. If you don't, that's fine too and you can just take your car as well," Luke explained. I pondered over his offer for a second, not exactly knowing what I wanted.

I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, but I also wanted to make sure I wasn't moving things too fast. Even so, it was basically harmless to sleep in the same bed as him, as long as we weren't doing anything. Somehow, we always ended up getting ourselves into something, and most of the time, the resultant wasn't as amazing as I'd expected it to be.

I just looked at him for a moment before saying, "I guess staying over for one night won't hurt. Plus, I miss it...and you."

Luke looked up at me and finally made eye contact, giving me a shy smile as well. He was awfully cute, and often times I felt like I didn't deserve him.

"I miss you too," he confessed before standing to his feet. I grabbed a few more clothes to stay the night at his house, and I put them in the bag. It was highly possible that I would be wearing his clothes to sleep anyway, but I decided to pack some of my own just in case. I was also planning to shower after the beach so I wouldn't go to bed feeling grimy and disgusting.

Once I was all set, I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand and his hand before shutting off the lights and closing the door to my room. Luke trailed me down the stairs, and we found Calum in my living room, still messing around with Luke's new guitar. He was singing one of their songs, and it sounded beautiful.

As soon as he noticed us standing behind him, he seized his actions and put the guitar back in its case.

"Are we all ready to go?" he asked to confirm. Luke and I both nodded, so he said, "Great. Michael, Ashton, and I are going to head to the beach in about half an hour to give you guys time with the Christmas gifts," and started heading for the door.

Luke grabbed the guitar in the case, putting the strap over his shoulder and he grabbed his keys from off the coffee table. We both walked to the front door and I let him out first so I could lock up.

Once I got to the car, he'd already started it and put his guitar in the bag seat. I placed my bag back there as well, and we were all set.

He backed out of my drive and started our route towards his house. Like normally, it took about 10 minutes, and when we arrived, he pulled into his driveway and parked the car. He got out first, grabbing the guitar and my bag.

I followed him to the door in the garage so we could go inside. Since hair was already unlocked, he twisted the knob and pushed it open, letting us in. We were met by the loud welcomes of his brothers, them clapping as he'd just won a grammy.

"Luke, where've you been, mate?" Jack asked curiously. I knew there was only a matter of time before they realized I was standing behind him. The case on his back was completely covering me.

I didn't think it was a big deal that he was at my house last night, but I also didn't know how much of the story that his brothers knew. I couldn't help but feel like they would judge me for decided to continue my relationship with Luke even after what he did.

I knew they just wanted me to be happy, but they were also going to make sure nothing or no one hurt me in the process.

"Yeah, and what's that you've got on your back?" Ben followed. Luke turned to the side, preparing to answer both of their questions, but also revealing me. The room went silent for a few seconds, the other two boys making sure I was actually there before they said anything else. "Kate?"

"Hi," I said shyly. It wasn't like me to be this restricted in front of them. They were practically my second family for crying out loud. It just so happened, though, that the more they stared at me, the more I wanted to crawl back into my shell. I felt so uncomfortable.

"Are you guys okay?" Jack asked, concern filling every feature on his face. I just nodded, not entirely trusting myself to speak anymore.

"Yeah, we are. We just came so I could give Kate her actual Christmas present. Then, we're going to hang out at the beach with Cal, Mike, and Ash for a little bit. We'll all be back later for dinner," Luke explained. Both of the guys just nodded along in understanding.

"I'm glad you guys are back, bro," Ben said excitedly. Luke smiled, and so did I.

"Thanks," Luke replied simply, grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs to his room.  
Before I could get completely away, Ben tapped my shoulder. I let go of Luke's hand, and he pulled me aside. Luke looked at me questioningly, but I just told him to go on without me.

"Is something wrong?" I looked at Ben, my eyebrows knitted together in worry. He shook his head.

"No actually," he started. It was my turn to look at him in question. I was thoroughly confused.

"Everything's just fine now," he claimed. I just continued to stare at him blankly.

"So..."

"I'm so glad you and Luke are back together. You don't understand just how good for him you are. He's so happy when he's with you and miserable when he's not," he started explaining. "I sort of wish you could've seen him this past week. He was so awful, I only saw him a couple of times and he lives here. He never left his room, and in the middle of the night, if you listened really hard, you could hear his soft cries. You could hear him mumbling to himself about how much he regretted what he did and how he was so sorry, but of course, you couldn't hear him. All he wanted was for you to forgive him."

"Seriously?"

"Come on, would I really make up something as serious as this?"

I thanked Ben quickly and hugged him before asking, "Will you excuse me?" He just nodded, and I turned around before running off up the staircase.

Once I was outside Luke's door, I gave it a light tap so he was aware of my presence.

"Give me a second," he called. Of course, I waited as he asked, and after a few minutes, the door finally swung open.

His room was just as I remember it, dark carpet and curtains, light walls, and just big enough for an extra person. The only different thing was the fact that he'd changed the sheets and duvet.

I'd always loved the mellow mood his room created. It wasn't dull, but it wasn't overly bright either. It set just the right tone for anything you might've wanted to do.

He had a few pictures of us on his bedside table, along with his songwriting book, a glass of water, and a few loose sheets of paper with notes written on them.

I looked around the room for a few moments, just to take in my surroundings. Then, I took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"Now you may be wondering why the hell it took me so long, but I swear I have a good explanation," he started. He then walked over to his closet and opened the double doors.

Luke pulled out more than one thing. One had an odd shape that I couldn't quite make out from where I was sitting, another was in a small box that was wrapped in gift paper, and the last box was bigger than the first and also very neatly wrapped.

"What are those?" I asked curiously. I obviously knew they were my Christmas gifts, but I wanted to know exactly what they were.

He handed me the obscurely shaped item first, and it had a cover over the front. I lifted the veil, and it revealed a medium-sized, heart shape, collage of photos. All of them were of Luke and me, from when we were younger, all the way up to most recently from the last date we'd had.

It looked like he'd taken all of the time in the world to hand pick his favorite pictures of us and individually glue each one down, wherever he wanted them to go. And it was the most thoughtful gift, by far, that I'd ever received.

The small bits of the background that you could see and of course the entirety of the back was a very pretty red color. There was also a soft pink that'd seemed to be mixed in and swirled with this eye-catching red.

I looked up at him, and he motioned for me to keep going because I still had a few boxes left. At first, I thought he was going to let me open them in whatever order I wanted, but he handed me the larger of the 3 boxes first.

I didn't want to completely obliterate the paper, but I wanted to uncover the secrets that were lying beneath it. Not so carefully, I unwrapped the gift, and it was a polaroid camera. My first reaction was confusion. I didn't know why Luke got me this, but for some reason, I was naturally drawn to it.

My eyebrows were drawn together as I scanned the item, and he noticed after a moment. He titled my chin up with his finger, and his eyes quickly skimmed over my face.

"Whats wrong?" he finally asked. I shook my head, trying to play it off, but he wasn't going to drop it that easily. "Tell me."

"Why'd you get me this?" I questioned, purely out of curiosity. I didn't not like the camera, I was just confused by the meaning behind it.

"Because," he started. I continued to look at him expectingly, so he explained, "I've noticed how many pictures you keep of the ones you love on your walls. It's so nicely decorated and it looks like so much thought is put into it. I only want to enhance your creativity and motivate you to keep that going because you're good at it and it'd be amazing to see what else you can do with it."

To say I was speechless was the bare minimum. I couldn't believe he'd put so much thought into these gifts, and it baffled me to know just how much more he noticed than I thought he did.

"How are you so thoughtful?"

"Because I want to give you the world, and if that means that I have to expand my boundaries, then I'll do just that," he confessed while passing me the next, smaller, box.

I opened it quickly, and it was just an extra film for the polaroid. I nodded, agreeing that extra film was a good idea.

Finally, he gave me the last box. It was the smallest one of them all, and it was wrapped in a different paper. I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or just because he might've run out of paper by the end and had to switch to a new roll. I decided to just stop overthinking one small detail and carry on with the gift opening.

I took a deep breath and tore the wrapping paper away. It was a small, navy blue box that was only about three and a half inches on each side and an inch and a half in depth. I removed the lid and there lied a silver, chain bracelet with two charms.

The first was of a vintage-looking camera, which fit the theme of his Christmas gifts, and the second was a heart charm. It was a little bigger and thicker than I thought heart charms would be, but as I was inspecting it, it popped open.

On the inside of it were a picture of Luke and me from a while ago. It seemed to be right before we started the lessons. There were small crystals bordering the perimeter of the inside of the heart that seemed to make it sparkle in the reflection of the light.

I closed it after looking at the picture for over a minute, and I continued to study the charm. I found an inscription on the back. It read, "Lessons can create a forever."

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I knew it was deeper than what met the eye. Not only was he referencing the sex lessons he provided me at the very beginning of our relationship, but he was also referring to all of the lessons that we've learned together over the course of our relationship that has tested us, broke us apart, caused us to reflect, and have ultimately made us stronger.

I knew from this small gesture that he was, in fact, planning for us to be together forever, and I was completely okay with that.

Without me noticing, tears had begun to well up in my eyes, and at any moment I knew I was going to start crying. It didn't happen though, they just kept filling up my eyes, blurring my vision.

I looked at him, and he knew. I didn't even have to say anything, he just knew, and he opened his arms wide, inviting me in. I practically leaped into his arms, knocking him to his back, as he engulfed me into the most emotional embrace that we've had in a long time.

"I love you so much, Luke." I just let the words fall out of my mouth, and for once since his secret reveal, they didn't leave a weird taste on my tongue or a painful thought in my mind.

"I love you more babe," he replied. He sat up with me still in his arms and just held me until I decided I was okay again. A few minutes went past, and I finally untangled myself from him.

Sometimes, I just felt like it was nice to be held, so I wanted to take some time and do just that. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. I nodded and was the first to stand. He followed and grabbed my hand. I led us out of his room and to the staircase.

Just before we took the first step, I stopped abruptly. "Wait."

"What's wrong?" he asked, confusion spread across his face. I shook my head.

"Nothing, we just haven't changed yet," I pointed out. He nodded, agreeing, and turned back around.

"You can change in here and just meet me in the car," he instructed. I told him that was fine, as I twisted the knob to open his bedroom door. He came back into his room and grabbed what looked more intricate than his normal pair of swimming trunks, but I didn't question it. I assumed he was just going to go to the bathroom and change.

I quickly took off literally everything and reached into my bag to get my swim suit. It was new and Luke hadn't ever seen it before. I was looking forward to his reaction to it, which I knew was going to be absolutely priceless.

I changed into the new apparel and coated myself with a decent amount of sunscreen. I decided to put my clothes from before back on, just as a cover-up and I grabbed my towel out of the bag before leaving the room and closing the door.

I went downstairs and said goodbye to Luke's family before making my way to the car. Just like he said, he was already there waiting for me. Everything looked normal, except for what Luke was wearing.

He was in a wetsuit.

"Um...why the surfing gear?" I asked, a genuine question because I had no idea he had an interest in surfing at all.

"Besides today, Ashton and I are going to try our best to figure it out, and what better way than to be clad in surfing one-oh-one..a wetsuit?" I just sighed and laughed at him.

Luke appeared to be able to do a lot of things that he actually couldn't, so I was expecting to have a good laugh later on today.

"Luke, while you may look like you can surf, I'm pretty sure you can't," I told him, and he pretended to be fake offended. He scoffed and put his hand over his heart like I just stabbed him there. I just continued to laugh.

I closed the door to the passenger side, and Luke backed out of the driveway before driving in the direction of the beach. We had our ways to go, but two minutes into the trip, Luke finally said, "Watch and learn baby," and put his hand in its usual spot on my upper thigh.


End file.
